← Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Ten Years of the Democrats Calling Trump a Racist
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Yesterday, in his statement about Jesse Jackson, the President said, despite the fact that I'm falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics on the radical left Democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way. Where or when does the President believe he's been falsely called racist? You're kidding, right? You know, Donald Trump has proven that he is a thin skinned racist. Trump is picking on someone who is ethically bound not to defend himself. Exactly what you would expect from a thin skinned racist bully. These are racist ideas, race baiting ideas. Anti Muslim, anti immigrant, anti women, all key tenants making up the emerging racist ideology known as the alt right. A fringe element that has effectively taken over the Republican Party. Clearly, as Donald just admitted, he knew he was going to stand on this debate stage and Lester Holt was going to be asking us questions, so he tried to put the whole racist birther lie to bed. He engages in behavior that is bigoted and discriminatory, and whether that's because he has a sincere belief that would put him in the racist camp or whether he's just doing it to try to advance himself politically, it's equally bad. He has been racist, he's been sexist, he's been Islamophobic, he has been anti lgbtq. I mean, there's a long list. I don't think it's useful to say, oh, we figured it out. This is what he is. He has a view of America that is incredibly constrictive. Many people look at this and what the President has said and just said, okay, well, Donald Trump is a racist. Do you think that Donald Trump is a racist? Look, his comments over and over and over again can be described as nothing but racist and obnoxious. He says he's not a racist. Well, he's the least racist person, least racist person you'd ever speak to. So I have a challenge for Donald Trump. Okay? Actions speak louder than words. You want to begin, just begin that long road back to proving you're not a racist, you're not bigoted. Support the bipartisan compromise that three Republicans and three Democrats have put on the floor. Everyone gave, and get the dreamers safety here in America adjusting. Commercial break we have noticed that Hillary Clinton has now tweeted, let me just read it and then we can respond. She tweets. The anniversary of the devastating earthquake eight years ago is a day to remember the tragedy, honor the resilient people of Haiti, and affirm America's commitment to helping our neighbors. But listen to this line instead. We're subjected to Trump's ignorant, racist views of anyone who doesn't look like him. There's no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is a racist. He's a horrible racist. He's the worst kind of racist, which is a racist who pretends he isn't a racist. There's no question that he's played the race card numerous times. He is a racist, and his party has failed to curb that. So his party has now become the party of racism and the party of corruption. He claims that he's bringing people together, but make no mistake, he is a dangerous, unprincipled, divisive and shameful racist. I think we're missing two central statements we need to make. Number one, we can no longer allow a white nationalist to be in the White House. You've been very clear that you believe the president is a racist. Is the president a white supremacist? He is. This president has fanned the flames of white supremacy in this nation. One of your 2020 rivals, Congressman Beto O', Rourke, told me this morning that he believes President Trump is a white supremacist or a white nationalist. Do you agree? I do. You said the president's original comment was racist. Many of your opponents, Bernie Sanders, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, they've called Trump himself a racist. What makes you stop short of that? Well, I actually am not. I think this country hasn't dealt well with the issues of race. I mean, we have a president who's a racist, who. We have. These comments from the White House are disgraceful and disgusting, and these comments are racist. I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there's no room for racism. And make no mistake, when people tell me to go back to where I came from, that is a racist insult because it's based on race. If I was white, they would not tell me to go back to China. I experienced that insult because my race happens to be Asian. And, yes, I am a proud naturalized citizen, born in India, a proud patriot, a proud person who belongs in this country. And it's not the first time I have heard, go back to your own country, but it is the first time I have heard it coming from the White House. His comments were beneath the dignity of the office of the President of the United States, and they have no place in our country. Telling four members of this body to go home because of where you believe they are from is racist. There is racism coming out of the White House. Is President Trump a racist? Well, look, when you talk about his statement on that, when you talk about him calling African countries s hole countries, when you talk about him referring to immigrants as rapists and murderers, I don't think you can reach any other conclusion. So you definitely would agree that he's a racist? I do, yes. Yes. This tells you that this president's policies are not about immigration. It's about ethnicity and racism. Directly responsible. When we allude to people as an invasion, as an infestation, we are directly, we are directly pulling from the language of white citizens supremacy. Directly pulling from the language of white supremacy. So I don't want to hear the question, is this president racist anymore? He is. Do you believe President Trump is a racist? Yeah. Yeah. No question. How can you say that? When you look at the words that he uses, which are historic dog whistles of white supremacy, when you look at how he reacted to the Charlottesville incident where neo Nazis murdered a woman versus how he manufactures crises like immigrants seeking legal refuge on our borders, it's night and day. I think he is, I think it's very clear by his actions and at best, he is empowering white nationalists and making people who have that extreme ideology feel validated from the highest office of the land. Today we talk about justice, and today we talk about racism. And I must tell you, it gives me no pleasure to tell you that we now have a President of the United States who is a racist. We have a president, and I say this without any joy in my heart, who's a racist. You know, we have to speak truth. Racism is real in this country. It was before he was elected. It will be after. Anti, Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia. These issues are real in our country, and we have to speak truth about it. And certainly we must point out and never condone anyone who uses their power in a way that fans. It said that President Trump is a, quote, white nationalist. That was a fairly stark accusation. Do you agree with that? Do you think President Trump is a white nationalist? Yes, I do. And again, from some of the record that I just recited to you, the things that he has said both as a candidate and then as the President of the United States, this cannot be open for debate. And you as well as I, have a responsibility to call that out, to make sure that, that the American people understand what is being done in their name by the person who holds the highest position of public trust today. So. So again, let's be very clear about what is causing this and who the President is. He is an open, avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country. And this is incredibly dangerous for the United States of America right now. All of us have a responsibility to stand up and be counted on this issue. To give me honestly, any, any pleasure to say this, you have a President who is in fact a racist. This is a time when we see his kind of racism and bigotry, when we see his blatant fear mongering, trying to prey upon the insecurities or latent strains of negativity in our society. But right now, the President and his allies are trying to tap into that frustration and distract from his breathtaking failures by giving folks someone to blame other than them. They're stoking fears about black and brown Americans, lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs, whipping up violence and intimidation, and they're pinning it all on what's been an overwhelmingly peaceful movement for racial solidarity. It's true. Research backs it up. Only a tiny fraction of demonstrations have had any violence at all. So what the President is doing is once again patently false. It's morally wrong, and yes, it is racist. We have racists and they've existed, they've tried to get elected President. He's the first one that had. From the moment he came down that escalator in his golden building. What'd he start off saying, I'm going to see to it that we get rid of all those Mexican rapists. Secondly, what did he do? He decided that he was going to pit us against one another based on race. The President speaks no matter how good or bad he is, people listen. And when he speaks and gives credibility to these racist. Watch my language folks out there. He breathes out, they come out from under the rocks and you're seen. Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire. He started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he's getting rid of those Mexican rapists. He's banned Muslims because they're Muslims. He has moved around and made everything worse across the board. He says to them about the poor boys. Last time we were on stage here, he said, I told him to stand down and stand ready. Come on. People have been asking me, journalists, well, you know, do you think he's a racist? Yes. Yes, I do. And then people say, well, you know, do you think he's a racist? Yes. Is President Trump a racist? I think so. I mean, if you do racist things and say racist things, the Question of whether that makes you a racist is almost academic. The problem with the president is that he does and says racist things and gives cover to other racists. I mean, it's not an accident that hate crimes rose disproportionately in places that his campaign visited. He's not tolerating racism, he's promoting racism, he's not tolerating violence, he's inciting racism and violence in this country. So, you know, I just, I don't know what kind of question that is. I think one of the reasons why that impact was so doubled that day is because of the misogyny and the racism that is so deeply rooted and animated. That attack on the Capitol. You know, white supremacy and patriarchy are very linked in a lot of ways. There's a lot of sexualizing of that violence. And I didn't think that I was just going to be killed. I thought other things were going to happen to me as well. So what sounds like what you're telling me right now is that you didn't only think that you were going to die, you thought you were going to be raped. Yeah, yeah, I thought I was. And that you now understand, having thought about it, is because of your experience. Yeah, yeah, I think so. I think so. Survivors have a very strong set of skills and the skills that are required as a survivor, the tools that you build for resilience, they come back in right away. And for me, I felt like those skills were coming right back so that I could survive, and my skills were to survive. Headline in the Washington Post this weekend, Racist GOP appeals heat up in final weeks before the midterms. Quote. As the campaign heats up in the final weeks before November's midterm elections, so have overt appeals to racial animus and resentment. And the toxic remarks appear to be receiving less pushback from Republicans than in past years, suggesting that some candidates in the first post Trump election cycle have been influenced by the ex president's norm breaking example. Quote, the chief executive of the Anti Defamation League, which works to counter antisemitism, said it is not new to see anti Semitism or overt racism in politics. What is new is after years in which it was clear that to be credible in public life, politicians had to reject prejudice, it has now been normalized in ways that are really quite breathtaking. He says, quote, I don't know if it will be very easy to put the genie back in the bottle. Sure, Joy. I think it's really important that we not whitewash what spurred and perpetuated this big lie ultimately resulting in this insurrection, and that is white supremacy. When you talk about perhaps the heightened vulnerability that I might have had, having been in the sight line, the occupant of the White House, this Pied Piper of hate, this insurrectionist in chief, as it were, that has everything to do with a white supremacist violent mob backlash to historic record voter turnout that was driven by record numbers of black and brown voters. So I think it's really important that we not have selective amnesia about this big lie, this attempt to undermine free and fair elections, to challenge the integrity of our ballots. The host for that lie was white supremacist backlash. And it's important that we not have selective amnesia about that. And it is important that we sit with the trauma and the terror of that day. And to reference what my colleague said, recognize white supremacy is a clear and present threat to the lives of every person who calls this country home and to our democracy. And there must be accountability. That is why we need full and thorough investigations. Anyone who was complicit or aided and abetted in this, including members of Congress, must be expelled. There must be accountability. And that includes, again, starting with the origin of this insurrection and what led to the perpetuating of this big lie, restoring voting rights. Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Now, I want to be very clear, very clear up front. Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. I know because I've been able to work with these mainstream Republicans. But there's no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country. MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country. They look at the mob that stormed the United states Capitol on January 6, brutally attacking law enforcement, not as insurrectionists who placed a dagger at the throat of our democracy, but they look at them as patriots. And they see their MAGA failure to stop a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections. Mr. Trump's comments were offensive. They were baseless. They were void of any facts and. Or any evidence. What they were were comments that unfortunately fomented violence, comments that I would describe as race baiting, and comments, unfortunately, that appeals to the bottom of our humanity. Donald Trump is also very old and a racist and a neo Nazi. Is it clear to you that this was a racist attack by former President Donald Trump? Yeah. I mean, it's overtly racist. Yeah. And do you expect to see more of that over the next 97 days until the election? Donald Trump has shown the American people who he is. He's been doing this now for a decade. If you're paying attention. Before that, he was doing it before he was on the national stage as well. So, of course he's going to continue to do it. That's all he can do. This is all he has in his playbook. And it's. To be honest, it's sad. I mean, it's really sad to watch. You know, this honestly isn't really about a comedian. This is about the Trump campaign. This, those comments and that individual saying those things on that stage, inciting an entire arena of individuals who have been previously incited to commit attacks like the ones we saw on January 6 by people like Donald Trump. None of that was an accident. These campaign events are put together. They are vetted. That language was vetted by the Trump campaign. That that person was approved by the Trump campaign because he is speaking on behalf of the Trump campaign. And I think it's really important that people understand that when we see everything that's happening, what is being transmitted and said about Latinos in the United States is exactly what the Trump campaign means. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black. I want to know. I want to know who's going to tell them. Who's going to tell them that they. The job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs. I don't believe that we're characterizing half the country. I am characterizing their candidate, Donald Trump, as a misogynist and a racist. So my colleagues have laid out a number of things that they believe is going on as to why it is that this is happening. But I'm going to start with number one, Trump himself. He's racist. I've been saying that. I said that during the campaign. Anybody that would adopt the Objectives of Project 2025 truly believes in a racist idea. What he is saying is that the only people who are competent to run anything in this country are white men. That's what he's saying. He's saying that because the FAA has hired women and black people, that our nation's safety is at risk. It's kind of incredible that a president of the United States can say that. So, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up. New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city of built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us. I think about what is happening throughout our nation today. And what Donald Trump has even done reflected symbolic of so much in his demolition of the White House and the East Wing. We see what he's doing to that, and we must let him know that this injustice, no matter what he's doing, that house doesn't belong to him. New York, it belongs to us. It belongs to the people of this country. And I want us all to remember and to know that the future, our future, is not determined by a despot in a house built by enslaved people. This is America. New York City. Don't let them tell you any different. Don't let them tell you that we are the exception, we are the rule, we are the standard, we are the acceptance. And we set the bar for America. I'm talking to you, Donald Trump. There has been a day before his presidency and there will be a day after, and it belongs to us. Trump is a racist. There is no question in my mind. It's time to say the truth and tell it like it is. And the most recent thing that he did by posting on Twitter, on Truth Social, the Obamas depicted as apes in the Lion King, where there are no apes in the Lion King. That was a racist act. He tried to blame a staffer. A staffer did not do it. Who posted it. He was in fact, a staffer who.