The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is officially over Donald Trump. They’ve pretty much been done with him since he launched his candidacy for president but a small handful were willing to give him a chance. After all, there are serious issues facing the country and many hoped that by working with him they’d be able to address challenges facing their constituents and the broader black community. It was a hopeful idea—even though it was a perspective lacking in reality. Nothing about Trump’s administration will be good for black people in America. And now the CBC is doubling down—reminding everyone that Trump is a dangerous racist who is completely unqualified to lead.
“This country is having a crisis of leadership” said the caucus’ chair, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), during a CBC leadership press call with reporters on Monday. “This president has proven time and time again that he doesn’t have the maturity or the temperament to govern in a common-sense manner.” [...]
Hours before the call, the Washington Post published an op-ed by Richmond that outlined his concerns with the administration’s response to Charlottesville and the broader effect of the administration on African Americans, noting that “the black community has a lot to lose under this administration, and we have lost a lot, already.”
How much exactly have black people lost under Trump in the last seven months? Let us count the ways. Jeff Sessions is the sitting attorney general and nearly every policy change he proposes is designed to disproportionately criminalize or marginalize blacks and other people of color. Trump has launched an absurd voter election commission to continue the Republican strategy of disenfranchising more voters of color. He has lied about supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities but is forcing their administrators to participate in a conference about them, where he will make more promises for funding but actually do nothing. He has employees with ties to white nationalist groups working in the White House. And then, of course, he calls white supremacists “very fine” people. And this isn’t even a comprehensive list.
Caucus leaders also noted that while Trump has often framed his actions on immigration as something that would benefit African Americans, ramping up immigrant arrests and slashing the current level of legal immigration are particularly devastating for black immigrants, including more than 50,000 Haitians who could see their temporary legal status expire in the next few months.
Monday’s call also served as the official launch of the caucus’ new #RootOutRacism campaign. The campaign, the result of an emergency all-caucus phone meeting late last week, will focus on highlighting and opposing racism “in federal policy, the White House, and on federal property,” according to a fact sheet shared with reporters. The caucus launched a related social media campaign on Tuesday, and will continue the promotion Wednesday afternoon in an effort to build momentum ahead of its members return to Washington.
It’s not unusual for a congressional caucus to oppose a president. But this has to be one of the first times that they have chosen to boycott future meetings with him and felt the need to launch an entire campaign to actively remind the country that he’s an unapologetic racist.
Asked if the CBC was actively looking into impeachment, Richmond hedged, saying that the entire 49-member caucus needed to discuss the issue before any official statements would be made. But, he added, there are legitimate concerns about Trump’s “fitness to serve.” A handful of CBC members have independently called for Trump’s impeachment, but the discussion hasn’t received support from Republicans.
This presidency is a complete disaster for the country and it’s even worse for black people and people of color. One of the best things the CBC can do is actively work to remove this man from office.