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When Amanda Berg heard that President Donald Trump had mocked the accents of South Korean and Japanese leaders during a recent fundraiser, it brought back painful memories of his childhood.
Berg, a Korean American who grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, reminded her children that "the eyes and the mocking accent were stereotyped," that gave her the impression of being a in his own community.
Berg, a registered Democrat, is part of a growing and crucial group of American voters of Asian descent leaning further left at Trump's age. His stunt, reported by the New York Post, has angered him, among others.
"It empowers people who would be predisposed to do this stuff anyway," said Berg, a high school English teacher in Denver. "And that makes it acceptable to be openly and increasingly discriminating."
Trump used racist rhetoric to expand his conservative base ahead of the 2020 election, including four Democratic women of color in Congress. Telling them to "go back" to their home country sparked a public outcry last month, but his mocking remarks about Asian accents sparked a lukewarm reaction. Some fear that the frequency of Trump's offensive racist remarks will make them easier to dismiss, a concern that may weigh on an Asian-American electoral group that is only growing in power.
The US population of Asian descent has more than doubled in the last two decades, from 4.3 million in 1998 to 11.1 million in 2018, according to the US Census Bureau. A majority of these new thin Democratic voters.
In 2016, some Asian ethnic groups that tended to be Republicans moved into the Democrats' camp, said Natalie Masuoka, Associate Professor of Political Science and American-Asian Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. Angeles. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 53% of Asian-born American voters in 1998 would identify with the Democratic Party. This figure reached 65% in 2017.
"They are adding more and more new voters to the electorate," said Masuoka. "Alongside Latino immigrants, they are important for mobilizing candidates."
American voters of Asian descent could also become a key factor in elastic states. In Nevada, Asians account for 5% of registered voters and 9% of the voting population. They comprise 5% of registered voters in Virginia and represent 6% of the voting population.
The GOP, meanwhile, remains attractive to Americans of Asian descent who are highly anti-communist, like many in Vietnamese communities. Some data also suggest that a high proportion of Filipinos and wealthy Americans of Chinese descent are more likely to become Republicans, Masuoka said.
But it can be difficult for some to look beyond the words reported by Trump.
"He is ready to use Asian stereotypes and accents in his public speeches," said Masuoka. "In this way, the way Americans speak about race is returning to what was historically effective prior to the human rights revolution" – explicit and sometimes offensive remarks about race.
The New York Post reported that Trump had imitated South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, both close allies of the United States, at a Hamptons fundraiser this month. Trump used a false accent to boast of Moon's slowness in negotiating the costs of US military aid to South Korea and his discussions on Abe's tariffs on trade tariffs, according to the report. newspaper.
Trump has imitated Asians before. At a campaign rally in Iowa in August 2015, he spoke of his ability to deal with Asian negotiators and used a broken English saying, "When these people enter the room … they say, "We want an agreement!
In the past, such comments have led to outrage.
In 1995, Alfonse D'Amato, then senator from New York, used a false Japanese accent to talk about OJ Simpson Trial Judge Lance Ito, of American descent of Japanese origin, during an interview on the radio. The Republican Senator's apology was criticized at the time by the Asian-American Defense and Legal Education Fund.
"It was a time when even though we were very offended by the comments, we thought that asking for an apology could make a difference. But with President Trump, we do not expect it, "said Margaret Fung, executive director of the group. "It's a part of his way of speaking, his way of acting that is offensive. Unfortunately, this does not deserve the attention it deserves. "
The leaders of Trump's re-election campaign defended his record with Americans of Asian descent.
"The American-born Asian community has never been stronger than under the leadership of President Trump," campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. "Millions of Americans of Asian descent have gained access to the strongest economy in modern history, with the unemployment rate of Americans of Asian descent reaching a record high under the leadership of President Trump. "
A representative of the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Trump's supporters, such as Farhana Shah, of the Arizona-GOP American-Asian Coalition, say his personality is unimportant. She praised Trump for creating jobs, adopting a tax break and protecting the country. Shah, who emigrated from Bangladesh in 2006 and is sometimes aware of his own accent, does not agree that his reported statements were racist or made of cruelty.
"He has a humorous attitude. He has a fun way of expressing things, "said Shah. "Did he interfere with political negotiations? Did the leaders (themselves) react to this? If not, it did not hurt. So, why should I offend?
Shah has had discussions with those who question his support for Trump.
"President Trump may not be very classy, but he is trying to solve these problems," said Shah.
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