Trump Says Racist Nonsense Because He Means It and Because He Knows He Can Win on It

[Celerity]

https://www.theroot.com/trump-says-racist-nonsense-because-he-means-it-and-beca-1836381388

Donald Trump, in a series of tweets from Sunday night well into Monday morning, doubled down on his racist, xenophobic criticism of four Democratic congresswomen, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. After calling on the congresswomen to go back to their countries and fix them, Trump followed up his attack by demanding an apology—making abundantly clear his belief that challenging these women is an effective campaign strategy. “Their disgusting language and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged,” he tweeted. “If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020.”

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Trump stayed on the topic for most of Monday morning, extensively quoting Republican Senator (and favorite GOP foot servant) Lindsey Graham, who said the congresswomen’s proposed policies—policies that include confronting climate change, closing down migrant child detention camps, and increasing the minimum wage—will “destroy the country.”

Link to tweet

As I write, members of the political punditry are debating (and no doubt, will continue to debate) whether what Trump has to say about sitting members of Congress is racist racist or just racist lite. And at this point, litigating his personal racism, and those of his supporters, feels both inconsequential and redundant, especially when Trump himself has made one fact very clear: He thinks he can win on racist rhetoric in 2020, and he thinks this because he has actually done it.

The timing of his attack feels important here: shortly after all four freshmen Congresswomen testified about the dehumanizing, barbaric conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border. Their presence at the border, and refusal to whitewash what they saw, brought new scrutiny to the practice of detaining children and families. The news cycle, even briefly, had shifted its focus to the dangerous cruelty of our detention practices. Trump may not be particularly good at anything, but he knows how to play the hits, and he’s particularly good at pouncing when there’s already blood in water: members of the freshman congresswomen’s own party—most notably, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—had publicly singled them out for being insufficiently loyal to the party line. The way it all played out was almost as predictable as it was shameful.

Some may be tempted to speculate that all his anti-immigrant, explicitly racist speech is an elaborate distraction from other matters on the horizon: former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony for instance. This is a mistake. If Trump is erratic in other respects, racist speech and racist policy is something he’s been consistent on, as a candidate, as a president, and before that, as a private citizen.

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[sprinkleeninow]

1. It's worsening by, like, the HOUR! eom

[pwb]

2. Yawn.

Trump won't win again. Most are on to his blame game.

[Celerity]

3. literally zero percent chance you can say that with absolute certainty

also, tens of millions buy into his blame game

yawning over what is currently going on is beyond the pale

you sound like 90% plus of people I knew in 2016 who were saying the exact same thing about Clinton vs. Rump

[pwb]

4. I just did.

.

[Celerity]

5. you are profoundly overconfident and if enough people duplicate your attitude Rump WILL win

[pwb]

6. Bull

You keep thinking that. why post something that even says trump will win?? Come on.

[Celerity]

7. if millions have your unrealistic, 'it's in the bag, so yawn' attitude, he could win

it is madness to declare it a done deal as things stand

[pwb]

8. Madness , zero, over confidant, unrealistic,

Your full of negatives.

[Celerity]

9. and you are wandering into Pollyannaish territory

I choose to operate in a reality-based mode that does not treat wishes, wants, and hopes as concrete immutable destiny.

Much like pride, overconfidence can goeth before the fall.

[pwb]

11. Yes I am an older democrat.

But you go ahead with your word salad. Yawn.

[Celerity]

12. so many yawns

perhaps a nap is in order

[pwb]

13. This is the last time I will kick this trump will win post of yours.

Bless your heart for thinking of my health and sleep.

[uponit7771]

10. +1, I agree if he didn't already commit to cheating again and getting help from the Russians.