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3 Instances Where Trump’s Claim That He Was The ‘Least Racist Person In This Room’ Proves Blatantly False

Although Trump's overtly racist rhetoric is something he denies, it's important to focus on situations where this bigotry prevails and unsurprisingly reveals his aptitude for deceit.

Alexandra Gergova

Oct 23, 2020

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

As the final presidential debate rolled around on Thursday evening of Oct. 22, a date that is 12 days shy of election day, President Trump was asked a question about race relations in America and his adamant disapproval of the Black Lives Matter movement, with moderator Kristen Welker citing examples of him referring to it as a symbol of hate and additionally spreading violent white supremacist videos to his large following. To this topic, Trump asserted one statement: "I'm the least racist person in this room."

Besides the fact that Trump deemed himself the "least racist person" in front of Kristen Welker—a Black woman—this statement is ridiculous when considering various instances where Trump has directly targeted and harmed BIPOC communities. Despite constantly referring to his criminal justice reform and allocated support towards historically Black colleges, Trump is in no shape or form an antiracist individual. Below are three—out of the very many—situations where his bigotry becomes evident.

1. Trump has refused to apologize for funneling $85,000 toward an ad calling for the five individuals falsely convicted in the Central Park Five case to be subjected to the death penalty.

The Central Park Five case, where five young Black and Hispanic men were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman, is an infamous example of Trump's blatant racism because, despite these individuals being exonerated, Trump has never apologized for the tens of thousands of dollars he spent on ads calling for their executions. It's impossible to deny that Trump's support of their deaths was in large part motivated by the color of their skins. In the ad itself, Trump also claimed that everybody was far too concerned about police brutality—written after the fatal shooting of a disabled and elderly Black woman—that they weren't allowing the police to do their jobs. Through these vicious and appalling statements and calls to actions, Trump exacerbated tensions and negatively influenced the minds of those around him.

2. In the first presidential debate, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy, instead simply declaring for the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to "stand down and stand by."

It's difficult and I would argue impossible to view the phrase "stand by" as a condemnation, which is exactly what the Proud Boys didn't interpret it as. Instead, they began recycling this phrase and basking in the pride that accompanies the president's support and mention. Trump additionally attempted to derail the topic by bringing in left-wing groups, claiming they were the ones at fault for the situations occurring in various cities throughout. Explicitly condemning white supremacy and the violence it's affiliated with is not a difficult task; it's actually rather simple. Trump's inability to do so is incredibly harmful and dangerous, once again revealing that an individual who refuses to denounce white supremacy cannot bestow upon himself the title "least racist in this room."

3. Recently, Trump began calling President Barack Obama by his middle name, "Hussein," which is a direct reference to the racist citizenship theories that saturated politics prior to Obama's victory.

One situation of this occurred very recently at a North Carolina campaign event, where Trump declared, "I think the only one more unhappy than crooked Hillary that night [of the 2016 election] was Barack Hussein Obama". There is malice and intent behind the inclusion of Obama's middle name because Trump is cognizant that the majority of his fanbase is supportive of the citizenship "conspiracy theory," where Obama is supposedly born in Kenya, smuggled into the U.S. as a child, and thus shouldn't be president. Racist supporters of this theory frequently reference Obama's middle name in an effort to validate this ludicrous claim. Thus, Trump intentionally referring to Obama as Hussein is done in an effort to appeal to racist sentiments, which Trump himself harbors and spews.

Instances where Trump reveals his racist beliefs are certainly not limited to these three instances; however, these are ones that I think truly demonstrate how false Trump's claim is. Vice President Joe Biden presented a statement I believe rings true: Trump is "one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history."

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Lifestyle

Cool Off with These 8 Beers!

North Carolina State University

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Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

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Recommended for you

3 Instances Where Trump’s Claim That He Was The ‘Least Racist Person In This Room’ Proves Blatantly False

Although Trump's overtly racist rhetoric is something he denies, it's important to focus on situations where this bigotry prevails and unsurprisingly reveals his aptitude for deceit.

1. Trump has refused to apologize for funneling $85,000 toward an ad calling for the five individuals falsely convicted in the Central Park Five case to be subjected to the death penalty.

2. In the first presidential debate, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy, instead simply declaring for the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to "stand down and stand by."

3. Recently, Trump began calling President Barack Obama by his middle name, "Hussein," which is a direct reference to the racist citizenship theories that saturated politics prior to Obama's victory.

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Appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures.

1. Sun showers

2. Smiles

3. Tight hugs

4. Discovering new foods you like.

5. Laying in bed after a long day.

6. And being completely relaxed

7. "This reminded me of you"

8. Breakfast foods

9. Over-sized clothes

10. Contagious laughs

11. Car rides with that one person

12. Random (I miss you/ I love you) texts

13. The city at night

14. Surprises

15. Blanket cocoons

16. Good hair days

17. Really good coffee

18. Days where you're in a good mood naturally and for no particular reason

19. Conquering a fear

20. When they give you a lot of guac at Chipotle

21. Being so comfortable with someone that you can literally talk about anything

22. Home-cooked meals

23. Tattoo stories

24. Leaves changing color in fall

25. Butterflies in your stomach

26. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches

27. When you can't stop laughing

Cool Off with These 8 Beers!

Coors Light Summer Brew:

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Want to know more about beer?

Sam Adams Summer Ale

Hell or High Watermelon

Blue Moon Summer Honey

LandShark Lager

Corona

75 degrees and sunny, plus, no humidity. I mean do I really need to say more?

Perfect Weather

You'll get an effortless tan

You can exercise with a view

You don't have to worry about bug bites

In n Out all day, every day

We have outdoor concerts

We live where people vacation

Because let's be honest, we all use lyrics.

1. “Don’t get too close, it’s dark inside. It's where my demons hide.”

2. “Tonight, we are young.”

3. “Cuz I may be bad, but I’m perfectly good at it.”

4. “Tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little frame.”

5. “I can’t wait to fall in love with you, you can’t wait to fall in love with me.”

6. “Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin with no makeup on.”

7. “Why you so obsessed with me?”

8. “We ain’t ever getting older.”

9. “I didn’t know that I was starving until I tasted you.”

10. “Didn’t they tell you I’m a savage?"

11. “I’m gonna make you miss me.”

12. "Cheers to the freakin weekend.”

13. “Love’s a game. Wanna play?”

14. “You don’t know about me, but I bet you want to.”

15. “Let’s set each other’s lonely nights, Be each other’s paradise.”

16. “Trippin’ on skies, sippin’ waterfalls."

17. “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days.”

18. “But you will remember me for centuries.”

19. “Something about you makes me feel like a dangerous woman."

20. “Don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me.”

21. “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”

22. “Find me where the wild things are.”

23. “I’m high on lovin’ you.”

24. “If you’re gonna be somebody’s heartbreak, somebody’s mistake, if you’re gonna be somebody’s first time, somebody’s last time, be mine.”

25. “Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled on.”

Everything Bruce says in his classic rock songs.

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1. "Talk about a dream
Try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
Spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don't come
Well don't waste your time waiting." (Badlands)