Despite Donald Trump’s long history of open racism, some people have continued making excuses for him. As he keeps winning races and looks more and more like the presumptive Republican nominee for President, we cannot let his horrible comments be swept under the rug.
One recent event highlights just how disgusting Donald J. Trump can be. Trump spoke at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in South Carolina and, as a Black person, I can say the idea of this event in and of itself is wildly offensive to me. (Though, interestingly, according to the hosts of The View, who recently discussed this topic, there were hardly any Black people actually at the event.)
At the event, Trump essentially claimed that he gained more popularity with Black voters BECAUSE he is a criminal. Not despite it. Here are some most unbelievable remarks from his appearance:
“I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time and a lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing.”
First, what people are saying this? Are these white people speaking FOR the Black community? Also, the audacity he has to compare his lawlessness to the discrimination that Black and brown people face in the justice system is staggering. These communities have had the arc of justice historically and purposely bending against them, for things out of their control. Trump is a super-privileged, former president, who would have probably already BEEN in prison if he was a Black man. So this comparison is utterly disgusting.
He also brought up his infamous mugshot, saying:
“My mug shot, we’ve all seen the mug shot. And you know who embraced it more than anybody else: the Black population. It’s incredible.”
So being a criminal is amazing and incredible? According to Trump. And he is again perpetuating harmful stereotypes. How many Black and brown faces do we see with mugshots plastered across our local evening news programs? I don’t think they, their families, or potential victims, think any of this is amazing or incredible. Trump gets to gloat about it though and use it to sell merchandise. These scenarios are not the same, obviously.
Most important about what Trump is doing, is that he is promoting the idea of Black criminality. Republicans have been using this strategy for decades. Trump is just very open about it. And has been. The notion that we Black voters love cozying up to a criminal is just not the case. Yes we often have experiences with the law and have family and/or friends who have been in the system, but that doesn’t mean we seek that in our freaking President! It is so wildly offensive I can hardly put it into words. What’s also disgusting is the Black leaders who were there with him like Congressman Byron Donalds and former HUD Secretary (and brain surgeon, somehow) Ben Carson.
These laughing stocks were up on stage when Trump started off his remarks with a very off-putting and racist “joke.” Noticing the illumination, he stated:
“These lights are so bright in my eyes that I can’t see too many people out there. But I can only see the Black ones. I can’t see any white ones. You see, that’s how far I’ve come. That’s how far I’ve come.”
So, he’s saying he’s so not racist that he only sees Black people? That he can only see Black people because they show up better because of their skin color? And again, the token Black toadies on stage are eating it up. It is all so pathetic.
One of the things Trump may ironically have working in his favor is that he is so consistently horrible. He makes egregious statement after egregious statement, and people get desensitized to it. When he was President, he did the same thing. Except he had the power of the pen also. But we can not lose sight of how atrocious this is. Someone who wants to be president should not behave this way. This is NOT normal, I do not care what anyone says. Sure, presidents throughout history have had outdated or outlandish views, but having the ability to discern is also a key quality. Trump has awful views and also cannot discern. He is all-around terrible in a myriad of ways. We have to keep shining a light on his hateful ways so that we do not become numb to this or to him.
(featured image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
