The Trump Administration’s Racist Tweets
President Trump has always leaned into the “bully” aspect of the bully pulpit. He has long insulted political opponents, journalists, and even foreign leaders. But one group stands out as an enduring recipient of the President’s scorn: people of color and countries with a non-white majority.
A Pattern of Racially Charged Statements
Back in 2011, Trump questioned Barack Obama’s legitimacy to be President by suggesting he was not born in the U.S. In his 2015 presidential announcement, Trump claimed Mexico was sending criminals and rapists across the border. In 2018, he described African nations as “shithole countries” and the following year said Congresswomen of color should “go back… [to the] crime infested places from which they came.”
Just in the last few months, he called Somali immigrants “garbage,” shared a social media post that labeled Somalis as “inbred SAVAGES,” and posted a video where President and Mrs. Obama were portrayed as apes.
Rhetoric, White Nationalism, and the “Invasion” Narrative
With these types of messages from the top, it’s little wonder that federal agencies and Administration officials have also been spouting racist rhetoric, including sharing neo-Nazi and white nationalist imagery, language, and even a song. Much of this content advances the great replacement theory, which claims immigrants of color are invading Western nations as part of a global conspiracy to replace white people in traditional positions of power in Western society.
In line with this theory, the President has long characterized recent waves of immigrants as an “invasion” from which the American people and our homeland need protection.
How Political Rhetoric Shapes Law Enforcement and Public Behavior
It goes without saying that these racist messages are cruel, hurtful, and wrong. But they are also problematic for another reason: when our nation’s political leaders dehumanize immigrants and people of color, it normalizes this behavior and signals to law enforcement officers and average Americans that racism in America is permissible, even endorsed. This is why the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination last week warned that the President’s dehumanizing language could “incite racial discrimination and hate crimes.”
The Impact on Immigrants and Equal Protection Under the Law
And we can already see this happening. The United States is supposed to be a country where everyone is guaranteed equal protection under the law. Where judges listen to the individual facts of each person’s case and make a fair decision, and are not fired for granting too many immigrants asylum. Where those being persecuted in their home country can seek refuge in the U.S., and refugee slots are not few and limited to white people. Where people in the United States have the freedom to go about their lives without being pulled over for the color of their skin, having their workplace raided because employees speak Spanish, or being asked to show their papers simply for walking down the street.
A Call to Uphold America’s Core Values
Americans need to keep speaking up and reminding our leaders that we have always been a nation of immigrants. That our diversity is a source of strength. And that our justice system needs to live out the creed engraved in granite on the highest court in the land: Equal justice under law.