Trump and Racism

Writing blogs about Trump is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is too easy. Every day he presents new topics to bust him about. I need to choose wisely, so my blog doesn’t turn into just a Trump report. When he posted a video of the Obamas as apes, that was one bit of racism I couldn’t let go.

By now, everyone is aware of the Truth Social video he posted. The 62 second video showed him as King of the Jungle, and concludes with President and Michelle Obama looking like smiling apes, an old racist trope.

 Initially, the White House tried to defend it is as a joke. Press Secretary Leavitt said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

 It turns out racism actually does matter to the American public. Or at least to anyone with half a brain. The blowback was immediate, not only from Democrats and everyday citizens, but also from some Republicans. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, our only black Republican Senator, said this was “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

 Trump’s post eventually came down, and they said Trump did not post the video, a staffer did. Whoops that did not work. The President doubled down later and said he posted it and had no regrets.

 We all know Trump is a a racist. Even those on the right know it, although they won’t acknowledge it. This was no one-off. It was not the first time he made racist comments, or racially charged or racially controversial comments. He has a history going back to 1973, when the Justice Department (under Nixon) sued him for discriminating against prospective black tenants at housing he owned. Since then, there have been a litany of comments and actions from him. They are consistent in their denigration of blacks, their veiled disparagement of blacks, and their support of a white majority.

 What is the worst part of all this? Trump is the great enabler. He makes it OK for others to crawl out of their holes and act as racists. We see the public coarseness increasing every day.

 Author, writer, and fellow West Point graduate Lucian Truscott IV*, said this about Trump’s most recent video/meme post: “6,000 years of history has taught that racism is like rust. The soul of civilization is eaten away by its evil.” Truer words were never spoken.

 Slipping into racism is like slipping off to sleep for Trump and those who support him. It comes easily. We see the continued signs of the acceptance of racism from many on the right in America. While there are those like Senator Scott who called Trump out for his racism, in general the silence on the right is deafening. You can read their silence as an acknowledgement of his racism. They know they cannot defend it. The best (in their minds) they can do is say nothing.

 The day before Trump posted the video of the Obamas, I was privileged to see the monks during their Walk for Peace** in person. I came away from that event with feelings of love, peace, and kindness. I also came away with a greater sense of purpose and determination to do what is right and do what is necessary. One day later, Trump’s video reechoed for me the call to do what is right and do what is necessary. We ALL need to stand up and shout it out loud – we will not tolerate this, we will not accept this, we will not stand idly by and watch the destruction of America by this racist president.

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Addendum:

• PS – note I didn’t EVEN go into the histrionics over Bad Bunny, a great representative of someone who has achieved the American dream. Trump and his supporters do know Puerto Rico is a part of the United States, right?
• * Lucian Truscott IV graduated from West Point in 1969. He is the best-selling author of the novel, “Dress Gray.” He is also a journalist and has a daily online column on Substack. In the small world department, His grandfather, Lucian Truscott II, was the commanding general of the section of beach where my father landed during the invasion of North Africa in WWII.
• ** If you would like to read more about my encounter with the monks, you can do so here:  Since they started, I have followed the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace. By the time they end in DC next week, they will have walked 2,300 miles. I knew they would pass through Virginia and was determined to see them. A few days ago, near Spotsylvania Courthouse, I did […] Continue here: https://maxnhall.com/2026/02/06/the-walk-for-peace/

I have written several blogs about race relations and racism here in America. I have to say, they don’t seem to do much good.  You can find them here:

• September 2016: Diversity, Really? A blog about education and racism. https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/diversity-really/
• August 2017: This is not my America. A blog about my niece and the KKK and Nazi incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia in August, 2017. https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/this-is-not-my-america/
• April, 2020: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Revisited. A blog about Martin Luther King Jr, his jailing in Birmingham on Good Friday 1963, and his subsequent publishing of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/07/letter-from-birmingham-jail-revisited/
• June 2020: I am Number 35,591. A blog about my graduation from West Point, and white privilege. https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/i-am-number-35591/
• July 2020: Sancho and Peter. A blog about two slaves freed in Virginia in the early 1800s. https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/sancho-and-peter/
• August 2020: Our local Black Lives Matter Vigil, which first started after the murder of George Floyd. Seeking justice is a journey.  Continue at:   https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/justice-is-a-journey/
• May, 2023.  The KKK, the New Loyal White Knights, the Patriot Front. There are lots of names for them, but they all fall under the general title of losers. Last week, some of these wack jobs visited both the Virginia countryside where we live and DC. They are cowardly racists, and only do their work at night, or behind […] Continue here: https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/racist-by-any-name/