Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2019
Trump has repeatedly claimed he’s “the least racist person.” His history suggests otherwise.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Preface to this article:
I don't suffer from TDS. In fact, I say very little about Trump, other than address specific policies. But as a counter-point to an article about Joe Biden, I think it is only fair to look at both men's history regarding racism. You the reader can decide if this is an issue of point in time or a general commentary about the individuals involved.
Trump has a long history of racist controversies
Here’s a breakdown of Trump’s history, taken largely from Dara Lind’s list for Vox and an op-ed by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times :
- 1973: The US Department of Justice — under the Nixon administration, out of all administrations — sued the Trump Management Corporation for violating the Fair Housing Act. Federal officials found evidence that Trump had refused to rent to black tenants and lied to black applicants about whether apartments were available, among other accusations. Trump said the federal government was trying to get him to rent to welfare recipients. In the aftermath, he signed an agreement in 1975 agreeing not to discriminate to renters of color without admitting to discriminating before.
- 1980s: Kip Brown, a former employee at Trump’s Castle, accused another one of Trump’s businesses of discrimination. “When Donald and Ivana came to the casino, the bosses would order all the black people off the floor,” Brown said . “It was the eighties, I was a teenager, but I remember it: They put us all in the back.”
- 1988: In a commencement speech at Lehigh University, Trump spent much of his speech accusing countries like Japan of “stripping the United States of economic dignity.” This matches much of his current rhetoric on China.
- 1989: In a controversial case that’s been characterized as a modern-day lynching, four black teenagers and one Latino teenager — the “Central Park Five” — were accused of attacking and raping a jogger in New York City. Trump immediately took charge in the case, running an ad in local papers demanding, “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” The teens’ convictions were later vacated after they spent seven to 13 years in prison , and the city paid $41 million in a settlement to the teens. But Trump in October 2016 said he still believes they’re guilty, despite the DNA evidence to the contrary.
- 1991: A book by John O’Donnell, former president of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, quoted Trump’s criticism of a black accountant: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. … I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. It’s not anything they can control.” Trump at first denied the remarks, but later said in a 1997 Playboy interview that “the stuff O’Donnell wrote about me is probably true.”
- 1992: The Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino had to pay a $200,000 fine because it transferred black and women dealers off tables to accommodate a big-time gambler’s prejudices.
- 1993: In congressional testimony, Trump said that some Native American reservations operating casinos shouldn’t be allowed because “they don’t look like Indians to me.”
- 2000: In opposition to a casino proposed by the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, which he saw as a financial threat to his casinos in Atlantic City, Trump secretly ran a series of ads suggesting the tribe had a “record of criminal activity [that] is well documented.”
- 2004: In season two of The Apprentice , Trump fired Kevin Allen, a black contestant, for being overeducated. “You’re an unbelievably talented guy in terms of education, and you haven’t done anything,” Trump said on the show. “At some point you have to say, ‘That’s enough.’”
- 2005: Trump publicly pitched what was essentially The Apprentice: White People vs. Black People . He said he “wasn’t particularly happy” with the most recent season of his show, so he was considering “an idea that is fairly controversial — creating a team of successful African Americans versus a team of successful whites. Whether people like that idea or not, it is somewhat reflective of our very vicious world.”
- 2010: In 2010, there was a huge national controversy over the “Ground Zero Mosque” — a proposal to build a Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan, near the site of the 9/11 attacks. Trump opposed the project, calling it “insensitive,” and offered to buy out one of the investors in the project. On The Late Show With David Letterman , Trump argued , referring to Muslims, “Well, somebody’s blowing us up. Somebody’s blowing up buildings, and somebody’s doing lots of bad stuff.”
- 2011: Trump played a big role in pushing false rumors that Obama — the country’s first black president — was not born in the US. He even sent investigators to Hawaii to look into Obama’s birth certificate . Obama later released his birth certificate, calling Trump a ”carnival barker.” (The research has found a strong correlation between “birtherism,” as this conspiracy theory is called, and racism.) Trump has reportedly continued pushing this conspiracy theory in private.
- 2011: While Trump suggested that Obama wasn’t born in the US, he also argued that maybe Obama wasn’t a good enough student to have gotten into Columbia or Harvard Law School, and demanded Obama release his university transcripts. Trump claimed , “I heard he was a terrible student. Terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?”
For many people, none of these incidents, individually, may be totally damning: One of these alone might suggest that Trump is simply a bad speaker and perhaps racially insensitive (“politically incorrect,” as he would put it), but not overtly racist.
But when you put all these events together, a clear pattern emerges. At the very least, Trump has a history of playing into people’s racism to bolster himself — and that likely says something about him too.
And of course, there’s everything that’s happened through and since his presidential campaign.
As a candidate and president, Trump has made many more racist comments
On top of all that history, Trump has repeatedly made racist — often explicitly so — remarks on the campaign trail and as president:
- Trump launched his campaign in 2015 by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” who are “bringing crime” and “bringing drugs” to the US. His campaign was largely built on building a wall to keep these immigrants out of the US.
- As a candidate in 2015, Trump called for a ban on all Muslims coming into the US. His administration eventually implemented a significantly watered-down version of the policy .
- When asked at a 2016 Republican debate whether all 1.6 billion Muslims hate the US, Trump said , “I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them.”
- He argued in 2016 that Judge Gonzalo Curiel — who was overseeing the Trump University lawsuit — should recuse himself from the case because of his Mexican heritage and membership in a Latino lawyers association. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who endorsed Trump, later called such comments “the textbook definition of a racist comment.”
- Trump has been repeatedly slow to condemn white supremacists who endorse him, and he regularly retweeted messages from white supremacists and neo-Nazis during his presidential campaign.
- He tweeted and later deleted an image that showed Hillary Clinton in front of a pile of money and by a Jewish Star of David that said, “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!” The tweet had some very obvious anti-Semitic imagery, but Trump insisted that the star was a sheriff’s badge, and said his campaign shouldn’t have deleted it.
- Trump has repeatedly referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as “Pocahontas,” using her controversial — and later walked-back — claims to Native American heritage as a punchline.
- At the 2016 Republican convention, Trump officially seized the mantle of the “law and order” candidate — an obvious dog whistle playing to white fears of black crime, even though crime in the US is historically low . His speeches, comments, and executive actions after he took office have continued this line of messaging.
- In a pitch to black voters in 2016, Trump said , “You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?”
- Trump stereotyped a black reporter at a press conference in February 2017. When April Ryan asked him if he plans to meet and work with the Congressional Black Caucus, he repeatedly asked her to set up the meeting — even as she insisted that she’s “just a reporter.”
- In the week after white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia , in August 2017, Trump repeatedly said that “many sides” and “both sides” were to blame for the violence and chaos that ensued — suggesting that the white supremacist protesters were morally equivalent to counterprotesters that stood against racism. He also said that there were “some very fine people” among the white supremacists. All of this seemed like a dog whistle to white supremacists — and many of them took it as one, with white nationalist Richard Spencer praising Trump for “defending the truth.”
- Throughout 2017, Trump repeatedly attacked NFL players who, by kneeling or otherwise silently protesting during the national anthem, demonstrated against systemic racism in America.
- Trump reportedly said in 2017 that people who came to the US from Haiti “all have AIDS,” and he lamented that people who came to the US from Nigeria would never “go back to their huts” once they saw America. The White House denied that Trump ever made these comments.
- Speaking about immigration in a bipartisan meeting in January 2018, Trump reportedly asked , in reference to Haiti and African countries, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He then reportedly suggested that the US should take more people from countries like Norway. The implication: Immigrants from predominantly white countries are good, while immigrants from predominantly black countries are bad.
- Trump denied making the “shithole” comments, although some senators present at the meeting said they happened. The White House, meanwhile, suggested that the comments, like Trump’s remarks about the NFL protests, will play well to his base. The only connection between Trump’s remarks about the NFL protests and his “shithole” comments is race.
- Trump mocked Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, again calling her “Pocahontas” in a tweet before adding, “See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!” The capitalized “TRAIL” is seemingly a reference to the Trail of Tears — a horrific act of ethnic cleansing in the 19th century in which Native Americans were forcibly relocated, causing thousands of deaths.
This list is not comprehensive, instead relying on some of the major examples since Trump announced his candidacy. But once again, there’s a pattern of racism and bigotry here that suggests Trump isn’t just misspeaking; it is who he is.
Read more here:
https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racist-racism-history
Tags
Who is online
100 visitors
Quid pro quo. If some are claiming that Biden is a racist, what is Trump?
A "Whatabout" argument? and using the disreputable Vox, which claims that being against the lopsided trade balance with China is somehow "racist"!!!
Perrie, I'm disappointed.
'Perrie, I'm disappointed.'
You'll get over it I'm sure. If not, who cares?
Morning Vic. I'll grant you that vox leans to the left and if you want to go after the source, I personally, am fine with it. The real question is, "can you dispute the content of the article"?
The content looks pretty spot on to me. I don't see anything listed that isn't true, or, been in articles by other sources.
Vic,
This is not whataboutism. Things don't happen in a vacuum. So if we are going to examine Biden, then it is only fair to examine Trump, in the time and place that these events happened.
As for Vox, are they lying? These events are very well known.
If you are disappointed in me, imagine how I feel.
The real question is, "can you dispute the content of the article"?
Actually, it's much more than that....I can and I selected the 1988 speech as an example, I hate being repetitive, how is being against the China trade imbalance racist?
Other that that Perrie has maintained that Biden's character can't be questioned based on Trump's character. That is known as "whataboutism." Beyond that, we should remember that it's democrat candidates who are questioning Biden's character.
Just a few points to think about.
No, what I am contending is that you can't claim a higher ground if the person you support is no different. So these articles are just a point of comparison.
btw.. I would have said this on BF's article, but he would have said off topic, so I can't and I was stuck writing my own, which I would have preferred not to do.
It is and your'e aiming it at Trump supporters. The people criticizing Biden already hate Trump. I know you like Biden, but I'll guarantee you, this is just the beginning. Biden is going to keep right on back-peddling and apologizing. The charge of racism came from the same place it always comes from. It reminds me of McCarthy searching for Communists. The liberals on their never ending search for "racists".
If you are disappointed in me, imagine how I feel.
I assume you feel that your on the side of the angels. They are not. They've torn this country apart.
I kind of figured that. It was a rare move for you. Take it from my experience - try not to act solely out of emotion.
Personally I don't think it was a racist statement but I can see why some people may see it that way. The problem is that trump has done this to himself. Has he made racists statements in the past? Obviously, so he earned the 'racist tag'. Once he did that, it's easy to label him over and over again. To this DAY he still sticks to his story about the 'Central Park 5' even though he was obviously wrong.
I remember that being in the news back in 1992 and I have read that in several different sources over the years. Sorry Vic, but there is no other possible explanations other than trump is a racist, to explain that one.
I'll agree that some of that stuff sure seems racist, but at least you admitted that Vox threw in a lot of bogus stuff.
So, is this the way it's gonna be for democrats? Every time they say or do something wrong they point to Trump?
The democrats clearly have anti-Semites in the House and obvious racists holding office in Virginia, so it's Ok. BTW, you notice that I never said that Biden was a racist. I don't think he is. His problem is with democrats!
No it is not. It is aiming at Trump.
I do like Biden, but I am not a Dem. I like him because he is a centrist and I think that is what we need now as a nation. We are far too polarized. But it is true that the Dems are eating their own, which of course I can't stop, but I can counter them as well.
Vic, in politics there are no angels, so I don't think that. I am sick of backbiting and trying to discredit people based on 40 year old garbage, and then being scolded when I try to make a point of comparison.
I totally agree with you. But that is not the point of the other article either. If it was, I wouldn't be writing mine. Nowhere does it explain it as eloquently as you do.
He said no such thing. Please point out where he did?
That's defending Biden's dealings with southern segregationists?
I like him because he is a centrist and I think that is what we need now as a nation.
Fair enough, that's a valid point.
I am sick of backbiting and trying to discredit people based on 40 year old garbage, and then being scolded when I try to make a point of comparison.
I am not scolding you, am I? I would never do that.
I am only asking if Biden gets judged on his own words & actions. I don't blame you for defending him.
yeah, I bet the pit boss or casino manager personally called Trump to get a decision.
That needed to be said.
Nowhere does it explain it as eloquently as you do.
Thank's Perrie, that's kind of you to say. Not quite as persuasive as your feminine charm. So, I guess we have reached impasse!
What I am saying is that perception is everything. The information is valid, but how people interpret the information is what's at issue. That's just the way humans are. If we don't like someone, we will believe the worst, if we like them, we are prone to not believing negative press.
Could be. I mean, trump, to this day is still bringing up Hillary and Obama. Obama wore a tan suit and it sent the right wing into a tail spin for MONTHS. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Just the way it goes. But, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone, with a shred of honesty, that thinks trump is, "more presidential" than Obama.
Of course there are. I did notice Vic and for the record, I don't think Biden is a racist either, I think what we do have is a very bloated Dem field and every one of them is trying to get media attention. What better way than attacking the front runner? Booker, whom I actually like, is just trying to get some media time.
I think if Biden was a racist, Obama probably would have said something a long time ago.
I'm good with that, Vic. Sometimes that is the best that can happen.
An excellent point!
I don't know if I would use this as an example of Trump being a racist. I look at this more as a casino doing anything to keep a big-time gambler happy and in the chair rather than lose that "whale" to another casino. If anything the gambler was the racist.
This doesn't excuse Trump from all the racist statements and actions he's performed in the past but I would be hesitant to include this one.
True, whenever the evidence is vague enough.
But, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone, with a shred of honesty, that thinks trump is, "more presidential" than Obama.
Oh, without question Obama was the better speaker, more polished and very Presidential. Obama also beats Winston Churchill, hands down. Unfortunately, speaking ability and polish don't make the leader effective or even good as a leader. The greatest politician who ever liver was arguably......Oh, never mind.
I think if Biden was a racist, Obama probably would have said something a long time ago.
Good point
<chuckles> Well, not many would dispute that either. He was a character, that's true.
Most likely true, no argument from me. If it was me though? I would have simply moved that asshole to another table instead of asking employees to pay the price for a POS customer.
He owned the fucking place, it's he responsibility and it was reported that he personally made the decision. Do you have proof otherwise? No.
Do you have proof that Trump made the decision?
No.
He infamously made a double racist comment upon purchasing one of the AC casinos when he saw that someof the accountants were black,
I did a quick google search and read everything I could find on the court case. Nowhere can I find anything to indicate that Trump himself was directly involved in the decision. Please provide the proof you say you have that confirms this.
And to be honest, from your earlier comment where you would simply move that asshole to another table.. In that case you would be out looking for a new job. The mobster in question routinely lost millions of dollars and there's no way a pit boss is gonna let a whale like that get away.
He owned the place, that means ultimately it was his decision and responsibility. Never ceases to amaze me that so many on the right yell and scream that trump can do whatever the fuck he wants because he is the president, but as soon as a bad decision comes to light? "Oh well that wasn't trump, not his responsibility!!!!". Trump is a micro manager, has been all his live. But yea, I am sure you are right, this ONE time, he had nothing to do with it. [eye roll]
So your real answer, despite the use of many words, is simply NO.
What authority gives your wrongheaded pronouncements any authority?
[Deleted]
What specific pronouncement are you referring to?
Your comment number 1.1.28 was just one such example...
Me too. One of the Vox owners runs DailyKos as well. I wouldn’t expect a fair and balanced report about Trump or anything independent from the source.
Oh please.. do you actually doubt that he said this stuff?
I can find this almost anywhere. I just like the way it was formatted. Anyway, you would only trust Townhall or Fox and they are not going to publish this embarrassing information.
Trump makes all the decisions for his crew and family. That's why he'll be in prison soon.
There actually are other sources that I trust. Breitbart and World Net Daily come to mind as well as the Christian Broadcasting Network.
This is all old news. Black people are finally realizing that the Democrats are not really their friends and benefactors, but try to become their masters, and reward them with this and that. Black people are tired of being treated like undesirable objects and pawns.
None of all this "bad news" kept Trump from being elected in 2016, nor will it stop him from being reelected in 2020
Gregg,
Have you looked at how many black folks have voted for Trump?
Anyway, that was not the point of this article. It's old news about Biden, too.
You haven't the slightest fucking clue what 'black people are' so please stop pretending you do.
Exactly, so it's pretty hypocritical to bring up 'bad news' about his opponents. None of it matters after all right?
Yes, but Trump is not a "virtue signaler", so your opponents in this thing don't care.
In other words you probably arent dealing with people who want to argue facts.
I don't buy that "virtue signaler" thingy, but I do think that he has quite a history of his own for those to be attacking Biden.
I think they are dealing with facts... just selected facts.
Perrie, anyone with half a brain knows that Trump is more of a racist than Joe Biden. So why do they ignore Trump to concentrate on Biden?
Biden is a Democrat, and Democrats are "virtue signalers". It is one of your opponents favorite phrases to use.
I admire your putting the facts before us though. Good job.
It's mostly the democrats and far lefties who are attacking him...they don't want no stinkin' moderate to be their nominee. His lengthy and weird past is coming back to haunt him. So far Trump has survived his imperfect past with no major damage, and probably will continue to do so.
I would say it's the far left that don't want Biden. You are right, they don't want a moderate, for the very logical reason that they are the far left, just like the far right don't want him either.
We will see what we will see, Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Remember what that did for Hillary.
They should if they want to win in November.
I agree Tacos. I also believe that is healthy for this country. We will never please everyone, but we should try to please the most.
And Biden is tacking so far to the left to avoid this kind of criticism and to win the nomination that by the time of the conventions in a bit over a year, Trump will be the more moderate independent centrist of the two major party general election candidates even if Biden is the democrat party nominee.
This article....not shocking at all. If you look at his rally's, there are damn few Black people.
I am sure they could go... but did they want to?
My point exactly. Why go to a rally if you know you aren't welcome? I mean, pretty sure there are not many Blacks showing up at KKK rally's either.
Look at those smooth, little hands, never worked a day in his life.
.
I can see your point on many of these but this one?
Just because Trump fired him for lack of performance he's racist?
I don't buy it. Not for this one.
Sparty,
I will agree with you on that one. And it was a game show.
I agree.
The thing is, trump supporters don't care what trump says, only what others say...
I think that is true of die hards. I have met others that voted for him as what they perceived to be the lesser of two evils. I try not to pigeonhole people.
True dat. I would have loved to vote for a guy like Jim Webb and would have in a heartbeat over Trump. Problem is, moderates get torpedo’d by both parties. That’s the part that has to get changed somehow.
Amen to that.
Most, if not all, the examples cited in seed were widely publicized prior to the last election. The press did what it was supposed to do. The voters were informed; the voters knew who and what Trump was before the election. Trump won anyway. Now what?
After five decades of finger pointing and guilt trip politics, allegations of racism no longer have any impact. If we are all racists then that's the way it is; accept it and move on. People have begun to realize that no matter what they do, someone will point a finger and call them racist. So, if we are going to be guilty of racism, no matter what, we might as well be racist. It really doesn't matter any longer.
Joe Biden has recently been the target of guilt trip politics by the other wannabe Democratic candidates. Biden's response when asked if he would apologize reflects the new normal; "apologize for what?"
I won't disagree with you Nerm. This article was a reaction to another where I couldn't express what I wanted to here. I follow the rules, too