Joe Henderson: Yes, President Donald Trump, your tweets were racist
Donald Trump threatens overwhelming force and obliteration if Iran attacks 'anything American.'

trump iran
Telling people of color to “go back” where they came from is more than a dog whistle. It’s a dog bullhorn

President Donald Trump’s recent Twitter tirade that four progressive U.S. House Democrat women of color should “go back” to the “crime-infested places from which they came” has deservedly been called disgusting, and a lot worse.

Every time you think the occupant of the Oval Office has hit bottom, he digs down deeper.

We have lived through a lot in America – wars, the Great Depression, assassinations, slavery, and so on. But I never thought overt bigotry from the President of the United States would be an election strategy.

Here we are, though.

But, I don’t think he is doing this alone. This man also acts on whatever latest piece of advice he receives. I think someone got through to him that was time to bring the heat. Team Trump apparently believes the way to win is to make his supporters terrified that people of color want to destroy America.

When Trump says “go back” he’s sending a signal to his base that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts aren’t Americans.

Um, they were born here. Details.

The fourth Trump target, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, emigrated from Somalia and is a naturalized citizen of the United States – just like Melania Trump.

Trump can’t just say that disagrees with their political positions. He lobs racist attacks, so his mostly-white base will know that he still has their back. Then he acts stunned when opponents call it racist. That has been his game plan since he rode down the escalator in New York to announce his candidacy.

Actually, it went back even further. Trump was one of the foremost spreaders of the racist fertilizer known as the birther movement about President Barack Obama. He doubled down on that after Charlottesville.

He is just following a script that got him the White House. The ones who whisper in his ear tell him he is doing the right thing, and that’s all the justification he needs. It certainly doesn’t seem to hurt his fund-raising, either.

In his mind, anyone who questions him hates America. He believes he is imperial, and his staff and supporters back that up. When asked about the tweets regarding the four congresswomen, Kellyanne Conway asked the reporter, “What’s your ethnicity?”

Huh?

Rudy Giuliani chimed in that since Democrats won’t condemn the four women in question for their “hateful and ignorant criticism of our law enforcement and federal agents,” Trump has to do it for them.

See how this works?

Say whatever you want, no matter how racially incendiary, and then blame the other side. Trump tweeted Tuesday, “Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!”

You could almost hear his supporters say, “Yeah, that settles it.”

Everyone else should know better. Telling people of color to “go back” to the “crime-infested places” they came from is more than a dog whistle. It’s a dog bullhorn. It tells those who believe anyone who doesn’t look, talk, or believe as they do is coming for them.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, knew exactly what he was saying.

Joe Henderson

I have a 45-year career in newspapers, including nearly 42 years at The Tampa Tribune. Florida is wacky, wonderful, unpredictable and a national force. It's a treat to have a front-row seat for it all.


9 comments

  • gary

    July 16, 2019 at 8:01 pm

    How is it racists? Democrats are terrorists!

  • gary

    July 16, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    Joe Henderson, it’s good you don’t call yourself a reporter, because you most definitely are not. Your a hit man and propaganda creator for the DNC

  • Randy Fischer

    July 16, 2019 at 9:31 pm

    Define racism Mr. Henderson. How does it differ from prejudiced or bigoted because it does. Once you define it then identify one word in the @realDonaldTrump weekend treat. What genetic group was named?

  • steve grabarczyk

    July 16, 2019 at 9:37 pm

    Not a big supporter of Donnie Douchebag BUT those women of color/ethnicity have been busting his balls since day one, so I guess since he is white, you can call those 4 women racist as well for all the nasty things they have said about him.

  • RG CLEMETE

    July 16, 2019 at 10:27 pm

    Another hit jobs from Florida politics.

    Democrat 2020 Platform & Goals:

    -Open Borders.
    -Sanctuary Cities.
    -Decriminalize illegal entry into our country.
    -Defund & terminate Border Patrol & ICE.
    -Same sex marriages.
    -Disarming Americans.
    -Infanticide.
    -Voting rights for illegal aliens.
    -Pack the courts with radical liberal judges (Like the 9th circuit)
    -Increase refugee’s from the third world.
    -Illegal aliens allowed to hold public office.
    -Socialism.
    -Free Abortions for all (Taxpayer funded)
    -The green new deal.
    -End of Electoral College
    -Free Medicare care for all including non citizens (taxpayer funded)
    -Raise Minimum Wage (expect massive reduction in full time jobs & loss of health benefits)
    -Have adolescents vote.
    -!00% free college for all, including non citizens. (tax payer funded)
    -Reparations for every race “harmed” by the white man.
    -Convicts, Terrorists voting.
    -Susie & Bobby using the same restrooms.
    -Late term abortions up to 9 months..
    -Pay check for every person in the US even if they choose not to work.

    *Sources: Straight from the Democrat’s mouths. View their speeches on you tube.

  • Karen

    July 17, 2019 at 6:46 am

    Henderson you are just another hack looking for attention!

  • Maryan

    July 17, 2019 at 10:02 am

    Stop the racist Semitism Omar (Democratic Party)!! You are the racist anytime you don’t have a answer or anything intelligent to say you call race card!! Have you tried to put USA first??? Democratic Party is now socialism!
    Have you thought why everyone wants to come to USA? We must have been doing something right! As far as deportation all previous administrations has massive deportation compared to this administration so check your facts and your racist rhetoric!

    From a family of legal Immigrants

  • DumpTrump2020

    July 17, 2019 at 11:14 am

    Trump is a sad example of an individual with a lifelong mental deficiency or mental development problem that was never properly attended to. The deplorables who voted for him, enable him, and continue to support him do so out of blind allegiance to the Republican party or they evidence a level of complete and total ignorance.

  • gary

    July 17, 2019 at 3:47 pm

    I enjoyed the push back in the comments section, good to know we are the majority wherever we go.

    @DumpTrump2020… get use to being bitter and upset. 4 more years is a lock!

Comments are closed.


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