Donald Trump spent 5 years promoting a racist conspiracy theory that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Earlier this month, someone on Trump’s staff finally convinced him to begrudgingly say that Obama was born in the U.S. — but that doesn’t mean Trump believes it, and the way Trump’s essentially dodged questions on his birtherism since then suggests he probably still does.
Donald Trump hasn’t apologized for years of his racist birtherism, nor similarly for the broader, deep-seeded racism and moments of bigotry that have defined his campaign.
Here are just a few instances of flagrant racism and bigotry that Trump should — but refuses to — apologize for tonight:
- Trump’s called immigrants “rapists” who are “bringing drugs” and “crime.”
- Trump’s called for racial profiling of Muslims and African Americans.
- Trump’s suggested that an American-born federal judge is inherently biased because of his Mexican heritage.
- Trump’s endorsed racist and unconstitutional stop-and-frisk policies, specifically calling for such profiling to be deployed in inner cities.
- Trump’s called President Obama, who he’s previously suggested is a Muslim, the “founder of ISIS.”
- Trump’s repeatedly called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
- Trump’s mockingly called Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.”
- Trump’s hesitated to denounce David Duke’s enthusiastic support for his candidacy.
- Trump’s done a racist impression of Chinese negotiators.
And that’s not even getting to Trump’s years of racism that stretches back to the 60s, from discriminating against African Americans who applied to live in his apartment buildings tofunding (and personally approving) secret racist attack ads against a Native American tribeseeking to build a casino that would compete with his own.
Donald Trump is an unapologetic bigot and racist and he always has been. That’s why Trump has earned the enthusiastic support of white nationalists and why he’s never going to apologize for any of his racism — it’s who he is and what’s gotten him this far.
Published: Oct 9, 2016