Trump's insults with regard to black journalists, candidates echo "historical reading books," say critics – News – Austin American-Statesman



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In recent days, Trump has launched personal attacks against a trio of women black journalists.

PARIS – President Trump's verbal attacks on black journalists, candidates and lawmakers renewed criticism that the president would use insults based on racist ideologies to give his African-American targets a lack of intelligence , reliability and uncertainty.

In recent days, including before leaving Washington for an Armistice ceremony this weekend, Trump has launched personal attacks against a trio of women black journalists. He accused one of them of asking "a lot of stupid questions". He asked another "sit down" at a press conference and later went on to call her "loser". He criticized a third party for posing, in his opinion, a "racist question".

Trump recently called Tallahbadee Mayor Andrew Gillum, D, governor candidate in Florida, "thief," and said that Stacey Abrams, former leader of Georgia's Senate Minority and Democratic candidate for the post of governor, was "not qualified". For the job. One of the features of his election campaign prior to Tuesday's election was to make fun of Maxine Waters, D-Calif., A black lawmaker who was very critical of him, calling him a "low IQ person".

Trump supporters claim that he fights all opponents with the same enthusiasm. He has attacked other journalists who have intensified his war on the media since his recent mid-term election – including destroying CNN's Jim Acosta at the White House.

But the president's rhetoric of prominent African Americans is far more shocking.

"His supporters are right, he's attacking everyone, it's absolutely true," said Adia Harvey Wingfield, professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, who writes regularly about race and gender . "But there is also an obvious commonality in the attacks that it is attacking against people of color and black professionals." These are straight out of the historical notebooks on black workers and professionals in particular – not not be skilled, not be smart or have what you need to succeed – a predominantly white environment. "

The latest example came on Friday when the president stopped on the South Lawn of the White House on his way to Marine One to answer questions from the badembled media. He was asked several questions about the role of Matthew Whitaker, whom he appointed acting Attorney General on Wednesday, as well as on several other topics.

But when Abby Phillip, CNN correspondent, asked if Trump wanted Whitaker to curb the ongoing investigation of the special advocate in Russia, he cracked it.

"What a stupid question," Trump replied to Phillip, who is black. "What a stupid question," he repeated, pointing his finger at her. "But I'm looking at you a lot, you're asking a lot of stupid questions."

The attack provoked a wave of support from fellow journalists, Democrats and others, in favor of Phillip, who previously covered the White House for the Washington Post. Many congratulated her for asking the most important and relevant question of the day.

But Trump's supporters rejoiced at this exchange, presenting it as an example that Trump was showing his executioners who was the boss.

"If you're asking stupid questions, get ready for @realDonaldTrump to call you. #MAGA," commented Harlan Z. Hill, Republican agent and commentator, on Twitter, using a link video. The tweet had accumulated more than 1,800 retweets and 5,000 "likes" in a few hours.

CNN's communications department defended Phillip, saying she "posed the most relevant question of the day." @DealDonaldTrump's personal insults are not new, and never surprising. "

Several White House officials have not responded to a request for comment for this report.

Trump has badembled a list of largely white senior advisers. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson is the only African-American to serve in the Cabinet and senior White House officials.

Since taking office, the president has repeatedly questioned the intelligence of black personalities. Perhaps the most vicious are his persistent attacks on Waters, described as "low IQ" and described as "de facto leader of the Democratic Party".

Trump also referred to CNN's Don Lemon as "the most stupid man on television" and, after interviewing basketball star LeBron James, said in a tweet that TV presenter, Black, had made Lebron malignant, which is not easy. "James had criticized Trump, calling him a" tramp "after the president of the NBA revoked an invitation to the Golden State Warriors, champion of the NBA, goes to the White House, while the team did not want to attend.

Trump also qualified the Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla. "Crazy" and denigrated her former badistant, Omarosa Manigault Newman, by calling her a "dog" after she wrote a book that accused him of using racist language.

"There is a trend," said April Ryan, who has been covering the White House for US urban radio networks since President Bill Clinton's second term and is now also a CNN policy badyst.

During a Trump official press conference at the White House on Wednesday, Trump asked Ryan to "sit down" after she repeatedly tried to ask her a question about the presumed suppression of the vote of the voters at mid-term. Trump suffered so much that he again evoked the incident on Friday during his impromptu performance on South Lawn, calling her "loser" in a disjointed response to a question regarding Acosta.

In an interview, Ryan, who is black, noted that Trump often salutes his achievements for African Americans, citing historically low unemployment rates at his rallies.

But "there are a lot of shock moments that make you turn your head and say" Wow! " She said, "Blacks had already taken this path before … a derogatory statement against highly esteemed members of this community who are in positions to help, and that will not go unnoticed."

Last year, Jemele Hill, a renowned black sports journalist, called Trump "white supremacist" on Twitter, prompting White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to talk about A "punishable offense". Hill had been warned by her employer at the time, ESPN, and she had described this remark as inappropriate. She has since left ESPN.

More recently, Michael Cohen, who has been Trump's personal attorney for years before breaking his ties after Cohen's indictment, said he had heard Trump use racist language in the past . Asked about allegations at the White House on Wednesday, Trump categorically denied him. "I would never do that and I do not use racist language," he said.

Trump sought to protect himself from race criticism by inviting prominent black personalities, such as influential Christian pastors, to the White House to discuss issues such as criminal justice reform. A few weeks ago, he met Kanye West, a vocal supporter of Trump, in the Oval Office, although West later sought to stand out from the White House.

At Wednesday's press conference, Trump tried to reverse the situation after Yamiche Alcindor, PBS NewsHour correspondent at the White House and Black, asked him if he had encouraged his white nationalists in campaign with his speech.

"I do not know why you say that, it's such a racist question," Trump said, claiming he had obtained the highest approval ratings from his presidency among Afro-descendents. Americans. It seems to be based on two dubious polls from conservative outlets, the findings of which contradict other polls. Trump has twice again called the question of Alcindor "racist".

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, on Friday called Alcindor, Ryan and Phillip, three of the best reporters in the White House. RealDonaldTrump and his #dogwhistle racism about these beautiful women. "

Eddie Glaude Jr., chairman of the African-American Studies Department of Princeton University, said that Trump's tongue was not a dog whistle, because "it does not look like a dog whistle," she said. is not subtle ". He likened Trump's attacks on the intelligence of black personalities to "The Bell Curve," a widely disparaged book of 1994 that linked intelligence to race.

"He does it again and again," said Glaude. "It is important for us not only to reduce the problem to Trump, but to understand it as a central element of his personality."

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