President Donald Trump has truly been a president for racists and white supremacists, often sparking violent reactions and liberating this group of what is arguably the country’s most hateful people. Just this summer, more than 360 tracked counterprotests surfaced in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, with 40 of them, or almost 12%, ending in violence, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project nonprofit's U.S. Crisis Monitor.
That doesn’t even include the shooting that ended in homicide charges for 17-year-old white supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse. He is accused of shooting three people, killing two of them, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this August, and the very attorney representing him is the same man who has represented Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Attorney John Pierce regards the accused killer as part of a “well regulated militia.” This is Trump’s legacy—hate, racism, and lies. Here are 12 times the president’s words relied heavily on racist sentiments.
1. “I want to hate these muggers and murderers.”
Trump’s full-page ad “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” references the Central Park Five, Black and Latino men wrongly convicted as children of assaulting a white woman in 1989, and it ran in the New York Times and three other city papers. Trump said in the ad: “I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence."
2. “I have a great relationship with the Blacks.”
Trump was responding to a statistic host Fred Dicker mentioned to highlight former President Barack Obama's support among Black voters, according to The Atlantic. Trump’s full statement on Talk1300 radio show April 14, 2011, in New York:
"I have a great relationship with the Blacks. I've always had a great relationship with the Blacks. But unfortunately, it seems that, you know, the numbers you cite are very, very frightening numbers."
3. “They're rapists.”
Trump’s full quote as part of a speech announcing his presidential campaign June 16, 2015: “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
4. “Total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S.”
Trump’s complete statement on the campaign trail Dec. 7, 2015: ”Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. We have no choice. We have no choice.”
5. “Pocahontas”
Trump's full statement about Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the National Rifle Association's convention April 28, 2017: “I have a feeling that in the next election, you’re going to be swamped with candidates, but you’re not going to be wasting your time. You’ll have plenty of those Democrats coming over, and you’re going to say, ‘No, sir. No thank you.’ ‘No, ma’am,’ perhaps ma’am. It may be Pocahontas, remember that.”
6. “Very fine people on both sides”
When a white nationalist rally aimed at whining about the Virginia city of Charlottesville deciding to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee ended in deadly violence, Trump wasted no time defending racists on April 12, 2017. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides,” he said.
When questioned at a press conference Aug. 15, 2017, about the remarks, Trump said: “And you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.”
7. “These THUGS”
Trump’s full thread on Black Lives Matter protests May 29 in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death after a white cop kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes: ”I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right..…
”....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
8. “I can name kung flu.”
Trump's full statement joking for the second time about names for the coronavirus at a youth rally June 23 in Phoenix: "By the way, it's a disease, without question, has more names then any disease in history. I can name kung flu. I can name 19 different versions of names."
9. “Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue”
Trump’s full Twitter thread on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to have a Black Lives Matter sign painted on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower: "NYC is cutting Police $’s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the @NYCMayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue. This will further antagonize New York’s Finest, who LOVE New York & vividly remember the.…
“....horrible BLM chant, “Pigs In A Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon”. Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, won’t let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York’s greatest street. Spend this money fighting crime instead!”
10. “Go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Trump's full tweet about congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib July 14, 2019: “So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly...…
”....and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....
”....it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
11. “Defeat the Invisible China Virus”
Trump’s full tweet about the coronavirus pandemic on July 20: “We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!”
12. “Proud boys: Stand back and stand by.”
Trump's complete answer during the presidential debate Sept. 29, 2020, when asked to condemn white supremacist groups: “Sure I'm willing to do it. I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing not from the right wing. I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace. You want to call them? What do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name. Go ahead. Who would you like me to condemn? Proud boys: Stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left.”
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