Trump is a racist.
I’ve discovered to my dismay that people I like and respect think President Trump is not a white supremacist or racist. They also think that calling him those things will hurt prospects for defeating him in 2020. I disagree on both counts.
First on the substance. The evidence for Trump’s racist or bigoted views–call them whichever you prefer–is overwhelming. From discrimination against black renters in the 1970s to his invitation to four non-white members of Congress to go home to his recent superficially coded criticism of Congressman Elijah Cummings, Trump has been consistent in heaping insult and injury on black and brown cities, countries, immigrants, and people, especially if they are Muslim or poor. Trump saves his sympathies and for neo-Nazis. His occasional but bizarre meeting with Kanye West or advocacy for A$AP Rocky should fool no one.
More relevant to whether his bigotry should be labelled as white supremacy is what Americans think. White supremacists recognize him as one of their own and support him strongly. His rhetoric is well within their venerable tradition. Black people and Hispanics also recognize him as a racist, as do more than 50% of Americans overall. I’m not sure how you can be a racist and not a white supremacist, even if racists have often claimed that all they are doing is advocating for equality. We know how separate but equal worked out.
Convinced Trumpistas deny he is a white supremacist or racist and claim they aren’t either. They just want to protect their America from an invasion and restore the country to its supposedly more tranquil (and segregated) past. They are frightened of places like Baltimore, where blacks are in the majority, and El Paso, where Hispanics are. They denounce Sharia law and despise Muslims. They want to ensure that their own offspring are not discriminated against; rarely do they speak up for other peoples’ children.
These are all well-worn racist tropes. They don’t fool me and they shouldn’t fool my friends. People who hold these views are going to vote for Trump, no matter what. They feel they lost a great deal under a black president, they still claim he is really a Muslim, and they want their white privilege defended and preserved. Trump gives them every reason to believe he will do his utmost in that direction. His is no dog whistle; it is a siren.
The key to winning in 2020 for the Democrats is not converting convinced Trumpistas but turning out their own supporters (including especially blacks and Hispanics) and convincing independents who are uncomfortable with Trump to join their fold. Revulsion against Trump’s racist and white supremacist views and support will play a vital role in both. You can’t generate that revulsion without calling racism racism. It bothers him to be called a racist; that is as good a guide as any I know of what to call him, provided it fits with the facts. It does.
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