When he’s not fighting an unnecessary global trade war or trying to become a dictator, Donald Trump is committed to making the lives harder for people of color. His latest move in this regard is signing an executive order to ban travel from a dozen countries that are predominantly black or brown.
Trump Wants to Make America White
Trump always justifies his controversial actions by saying he wants to make America great again. But in reality, everything he does shows that he’s actually committed to making America white again. In his first term, he banned travel from countries with a Muslim majority and even referred to it as a “Muslim ban.” His second travel ban is even more extensive while still focusing almost entirely on people of color.
Trump said he based his decision on “national security land counter-terrorism goals.” But that explanation is hard to buy when you see the list of countries affected. The ban places a full stop on travels to the U.S. from Afghanistan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen while also restricting travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Trump’s Racism is Becoming Harder to Ignore
Trump was never afraid to show his racist side. It goes back all the way to 1973 when the Department of Justice sued him for rejecting applications from African-American renters in his New York housing development without merit. While he settled the suit, he didn’t show any remorse and continued using his public platform to deliver controversial opinions on racial issues. This became especially apparent in his second term in the Oval Office, where he is looking to undermine all the progress towards racial equality made by previous administrations. His stance on immigration, efforts to terminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, and the latest travel ban are just some of the examples.
Trump’s racism is becoming harder to ignore and is finally prompting people to call it what it is. Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, accused him of “racial discrimination under international human rights law,” saying that his latest travel ban is “racist, and downright cruel.” U.S. Representative Don Beyer added that the true rationale behind the travel ban “isn’t security, it’s racism.”
Don’t Expect Trump to Back Down Anytime Soon
Unfortunately, Trump won’t back down from his racist agenda anytime soon. He made it the centerpiece of his campaign, and many experts agree it is one of the reasons he won the elections. If anything, he is likely to continue doubling down on it as long as Americans are letting him do so.
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