Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, is a racist.
His latest alleged “s–t hole countries” comment made in a White House immigration meeting regarding predominantly black countries like African countries and Haiti is only the most recent in his long history of racist rhetoric.
Though Trump has repeatedly asserted he is the “least racist person,” The New York Times compiled a list of his own words that proves otherwise.
The man has made numerous racially insensitive comments that span the entirety of his time as a public figure. From his time as a New York real estate developer in the ‘70s and ‘80s to his political rise born out of his now-refuted claim that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, to the launch of his presidential campaign when he described some Mexicans as rapists, Trump has talked about and treated people differently based on their race and still does so.
And let’s face it, The New York Times can’t make such a large composite that extends all the way back to the ‘70s if that person isn’t a racist.
So it’s time to start calling Trump what he is. It’s important the American people waste less time debating the truth and more time debating important things like what to do about immigration, especially with the fate of about 800,000 DACA recipients on the line.
Plus, debating whether someone is indeed a racist has done nothing but complicate the very meaning of the word.
But at it’s core, racism is still the belief that race is an inherent and determining factor in a person’s or a people’s character and capabilities, rendering some inferior and others superior.
So when people say something like Haitians have AIDS or Mexicans are rapists, like the current American president has, it’s probably safe to say they’re racists.
By understanding the definition of racism, reports that Trump is a racist or a white supremacist are not fake news. It’s the truth, supported by decades of his own words.
But what is there to do about it?
Though Trump is not the first racist president, America needs to finally learn to reject racism and make him the last. If, by some miracle, the man makes it through his first term, he mustn’t be allowed a second in 2020.
But before that, voters must flood the polls this year to take away the power of Trump’s defenders, apologists, accomplices and those whose complicit silence perpetuate his racism-fueled endeavors.
And with the Russia probe still ongoing, the people must ensure the House and Senate have enough anti-Trump votes to make impeachment a possibility.
The people must also continue to scrutinize all of the policies the president supports, the positions he takes and the appointments he makes for signs of his racism because everything he does is a reflection of who he is and what he believes. The beliefs of racists cannot be separated from their actions.
His policies on health care, crime, immigration and other issues will harm African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans and other minorities. And anyone who thinks that’s an accident isn’t paying attention.
The American people must be cognizant of but not discouraged by the mountain they face. Yes, enough people were willing to accept or overlook his racism to elect him, but he is not unstoppable.
May America continue to fight for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and wake up from Trump’s nightmare.