A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 130th Unpresidented Week As POTUS

While Trump questions the patriotism of four congresswomen of color, he further reveals just how un-American, unpatriotic, and racist he is at his core.
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by: Ahmed Baba on July 21, 2019

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall, Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall, Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is emblematic of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing his every move. This is week 130.

President Trump does not get to decide who is American and who is not, nor does he get to decide what it means to be patriotic. This week, Trump tried to designate himself as king of the American people, dictating that those who dare criticize him hate America, and if they’re people of color, then they might as well leave the country.

President Trump’s racist attacks on the four freshmen congresswomen of color (known as “the Squad”) weren’t surprising, but they were deeply troubling nonetheless. Being told to go back to your country, even though you’re either a naturalized or natural-born citizen, is an all too familiar bigoted barb used against millions of people of color in this country. When Trump’s base echoed this disgusting sentiment by directing “send her back!” chants at Rep. Ilhan Omar, they further cemented their place on the wrong side of history.

President Trump’s advisers attempted to pivot these racist attacks towards the congresswomen’s policies and patriotism but this did not work as Trump himself undercut their efforts by doubling down. Trump, who has called America a “mess” and a “third world country”, does not get to tell congresswomen of color they aren’t allowed to criticize the president. The Republican Party is enabling Trump’s white nationalist perversion of what it means to be American. This racist strategy is who they are as a party, and who they’ve been for quite some time.

As we’ve written in article after article this week, President Trump’s 2020 strategy will simply be a ramped-up version of his 2016 campaign. Trump isn’t even trying to expand his base and believes tapping into white fear will be enough to push him over the edge in 2020. He was gravely mistaken in 2018, and he will likely face the same effect in 2020.

Another angle to this strategy is to force Democrats to embrace “the Squad” and therefore, declare them all as extreme socialists. Democrats are merely proposing policies that will provide access to healthcare, education, a livable wage, and tax cuts for the most vulnerable of Americans. If Democrats are able to accurately debunk the Republican effort to brand them as socialists, they will succeed.

When it comes to President Trump’s racism, and the Republican Party’s depraved defense of him, the American people’s choice has never been more clear. Are we a country of love or hate? A nation of immigrants or nativists? Nothing short of a landslide rebuke of Trump at the ballot box in 2020 will show the country, and the world, that the American people are better than Trumpism and all its hideousness.

Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week.

This comprehensive column sources great reporting from top news organizations, but it’s also built on brilliant analysis from my team at Rantt Media. We are independently-owned, completely ad-free, and take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for a monthly subscription. Below, you’ll see daily breakdowns that are derived from our exclusive Rantt Rundown newsletter. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for our newsletter or joining our community chatroom where you can talk news with our team and other like-minded individuals:

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President Trump Goes Full White Nationalist

Day 907: Monday, July 15

President Trump and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-IL), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

President Trump and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-IL), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

President Trump’s racism is well-documented. Trump was sued by the Justice Department for housing discrimination in the 70s. In 1989, Trump took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the Central Park Five to be executed and still claimed they were guilty after DNA evidence exonerated them in 2002.

Trump spent years falsely claiming that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. And as President, Trump has pushed xenophobic policies, called African countries shitholes, dehumanized migrants, gotten into racist feuds with celebrities and lawmakers, and ignored the threat of white supremacist terrorism while fueling their hatred with his rhetoric. Today, President Trump continued to uphold his political platform of divisive bigotry.

This morning, President Trump took to Twitter and spouted the classic racist “go back to your country” line against Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-IL).

All four are, of course, American citizens, 3 of whom were born in America with the exception of Omar (but she is no less American than any other U.S. citizen). This is a familiar racist attack that has targeted outspoken people of color, including myself.

President Trump is telling brown congresswomen that they are essentially not American and therefore, not worthy of being in Congress. This is an unAmerican attack on sitting congresswomen who are seeking to represent their constituents to the best of their ability.

The tweet appeared to be triggered by Fox News’ coverage of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) recent back and forth with those congresswomen.

Pelosi, AOC, Omar, Tlaib, and Pressley fired back.

President Trump doubled down on Monday and Tuesday. I expanded on this, and took a look at the bigger picture in my article for The Independent:

If you are a person of color or immigrant in America, you’ve likely heard this before: “Go back to where you came from!” I know I have. As the black son of two immigrants from Sierra Leone, with the name Ahmed Baba, I’ve been told to go “back to the Middle East” and have been accused of “hating America” when I dare criticize President Trump. The fact I was born in America doesn’t matter, because many among Trump’s base appear to hold the false, bigoted belief that being truly American means being white, and that if you’re anti-Trump then you’re anti-America. Apparently, the current President of the United States shares this belief.

…

Trump doubled down on those sentiments in a press conference by demanding those freshman congresswomen apologize. He then accused them of being racist, said they hate America, and reiterated that if they’re “not happy” in the US, they can leave.

Trump’s remarks felt personal to millions of people and further defined what he and his party have become. As Republican lawmakers either defend Trump’s remarks or remain silent, they continue to showcase their complicity in a presidency built on hatred and fear. His Republican enablers have upheld the infrastructure cultivating his bigotry.

There have been many articles written about Trump’s latest racist tweets, but few paint the full picture. This isn’t just about Trump’s personal history of racism. You cannot talk about Trump’s bigotry without tying this to the bigger picture: President Trump and his sycophants are solidifying the Republican Party’s descent into white nationalism.

In other news…

House Democrats Unite, Republicans Fall In Line

Day 908: Tuesday, July 16

Left: President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (AP). Left: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats, and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-IL), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Left: President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (AP). Left: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats, and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-IL), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

On Tuesday, Republican members of Congress officially put their names down in the defense of racism.

President Trump’s racist “go back to your countries” attack on Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-IL) are further exposing the Trump Administration and the GOP’s true colors.

As her husband George Conway lambasted Trump’s racism in The Washington Post, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway engaged in a truly troubling exchange with a reporter.

Kellyanne Conway: “What’s your ethnicity?”

Reporter: “Um. Why is that relevant?”

KC: “No no – bc I’m asking a question. My ancestors are from Ireland & Italy.”

Reporter: “My own ethnicity is not relevant to the question I’m asking.”

KC: “No no, it is.” https://t.co/RTQ31HGKHepic.twitter.com/fFvJln34V5

— The Hill (@thehill) July 16, 2019

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended Trump’s comments as not racist before his party followed suit in a symbolic vote. House Democrats introduced a resolution to condemn President Trump’s racism.

Before the vote, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called Trump’s tweets racist, and Republicans unsuccessfully tried to get her words wiped from the congressional record. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) then got more added in.

.@RepDougCollins got upset because Nancy Pelosi described Trump’s tweets as (gasp!) “racist” pic.twitter.com/3Ltqbkak3l

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 16, 2019

Eric Swalwell just reviewed a bunch of things Trump had done — “saying immigrants are rapists is racist,” “calling African countries shithole countries is racist” — and now we’re stuck in another parliamentary flat circle as Republicans try to get his words taken down.

— Matt Fuller

Rep. John Lewis, who marched in Selma, Alabama alongside Martin Luther King Jr., took to the House floor and gave a powerful speech.

John Lewis didn’t get beaten in 1965 to have to say this in 2019.

“I know racism when I see it…And at the highest level of government, there is no room for racism…Some of us have been victims of the stain, the pain and the hurt of racism…” pic.twitter.com/ehBNEMLueK

— Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) July 16, 2019

The resolution passed in a 240-187 vote. Four House Republicans, Representatives  Susan Brooks (IN), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Will Hurd (TX), Fred Upton (MI), and newly Independent Justin Amash (MI), voted with the Democratic majority. The resolution is a great read, citing American leaders who have touted the importance of immigration from Alexander Hamilton to FDR to JFK to Ronald Regan. The resolution moves on explicitly condemn President Trump:

Whereas President Trump’s racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color: Now, therefore, be it resolved, That the House of Representatives —

…

(3) condemns President Donald Trump’s racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color by saying that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should “go back” to other countries, by referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as “invaders,” and by saying that Members of Congress who are immigrants (or those of our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immigrants) do not belong in Congress or in the United States of America.

The fact that Republican lawmakers continue to stand by President Trump’s racism is no surprise.

Trump isn’t an accident or an anomaly.

He’s the natural outcome of the @GOP‘s Southern Strategy.

Since the 1960s, Republicans falsely blamed minorities for the economic woes of their base, all while legislating for the 1%.

This #RacistPresident is the product of a racist party pic.twitter.com/C4NL2U9Kbr

— Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) July 15, 2019

Nonetheless, this should concern every American. The Republican Party has gaslit its base into a state of white nationalist fear that is manifesting itself in President Trump’s policies. Just this week, the Trump Administration has literally told people to go back to where they came from by moving to end the legal asylum process as we know it. And today, Attorney General William Barr declined to charge the murderer of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who was choked by a police officer as he yelled “I can’t breathe” 11 times, 5 years ago tomorrow.

While the Republican Party pushes bigoted policies and fear mongers about immigrants, Democrats are actually proposing solutions to help the middle class and marginalized. It’s never been clearer which party stands for equality and justice for all. And that party is not the Republicans.

In other news…

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The Folly In Trump’s Racist Strategy

Day 909: Wednesday, July 17

Donald Trump waves as he leaves a campaign rally, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Altoona, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump waves as he leaves a campaign rally, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Altoona, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Whenever President Trump feels backed into a corner, wants to shift the news cycle, or feels he is in political peril, he behaves in the same manner. Trump unleashes unhinged remarks that are offensive, racist, and downright indecent to the broader public but are red meat for his base. This week was no different.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released today indicated Trump’s support among Republicans rose 5 points after his racist attacks on the four freshman congresswomen of color. But the key component of this poll is that it rose to 72% from 67%, which is incredibly low GOP support for Trump.

President Trump usually maintains well above 80% Republican support. A similar drop in approval happened during the height of Trump’s attacks on former Special Counsel Robert Mueller in August 2018, after which Trump then resorted to his migrant caravan messaging.

President Trump’s internal polling could be revealing the shaky foundation of his base, so he needed a cultural grievance to rally them. After all, we were just in the middle of a multi-week news cycle about the horrific migrant detention center conditions and not all of Trump’s base approved. A CNN poll showed that only 62% of Republicans approved of the way migrants were being treated at the border. Although that number should be lower given the inhumane nature of the conditions, 62% is a low level of support among Republicans for a Trump policy.

Nonetheless, President Trump was seeing a new high in his approval rating in a Washington Post poll (44%) as Americans began to tune out for the Summer, but Trump couldn’t help himself. The Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal and migrant detention centers were garnering too much media attention, and Trump wanted to change the subject.

President Trump also reportedly believes that his attacks on representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-IL) are good for him. But a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll released today revealed that 68% of Americans called Trump’s tweets offensive and only 57% of Republicans agreed with his tweets. But Trump’s strategy goes beyond racism. By targeting them with racist attacks, Trump forced Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to embrace “the Squad”, and therefore Trump believes he can brand the entire Democratic Party as “socialist”.

President Trump can cry “socialism” all he wants but it will definitely fall apart and Americans will see it for the demagoguery it is. How does Trump think this will play in the debates? Trump: “You’re a socialist.” Democratic nominee to the camera: “Don’t listen to him. He calls me wanting to give you access to healthcare, a tax cut, and a livable wage “communism.” He promised you jobs and instead gave the 1% the biggest tax cut in decades. His attacks are a distraction.”

Trump used racist and false attacks successfully in 2016, but when he ran his fear-mongering, migrant caravan-driven campaign ahead of the 2018 midterms, it resulted in the loss of 40 seats in the House. The rhetoric merely fired up black women voters and turned white suburban voters away from the Republican Party.

Tapping into the white fear in the Republican base is a simple tactic that has been used by GOP politicians since the 1960s. President Trump has just been significantly more overt in its application. It’s been clear for a while now that it was not “economic anxiety” that motivated many of his supporters, but it was cultural and racial anxiety – in other words, racism. The Trump Administration is trying to end the asylum process as we know it and completing the GOP’s transition into the white nationalist party.

But this won’t work. Another note from today’s Reuters/Ipsos poll is that he lost support among Independents. As usual, President Trump’s efforts to double down and target his base will backfire among the swing voters he needs to push him over the edge in 2020. Especially as the majority of Americans disapprove of Trump and the Republican Party continues showing signs it is shrinking.

In other news…

The Weaponization Of Anti-Semitism

Day 910: Thursday, July 18

Then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s since deleted tweet in October 2018.

Then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s since deleted tweet in October 2018.

Rabbi Shaina Bacharach shares her take on the Republican attacks on Ilhan Omar:

A neighbor recently expressed her concern for me and her many other Jewish friends. A year ago, I’d have brushed off her concerns. This time, we commiserated. Yes, this is a worry.

For most American Jews, anti-Semitism has long been an afterthought. We know it’s there. But we know that our government protects minorities. Or so we thought. But lurking in the back of our minds is the eternal question: how do Jews recognize the danger signs. How do we know when it’s time to leave? We think about our European coreligionists who didn’t see the signs and were consigned to the flames.

Could it happen here? When will we know?

Four freshman Democratic congresswomen of color are the current targets of presidential ire. None are Jewish. Two are Muslim. The invective hurled against them? They don’t love America. They hate Israel. They are anti-Semites.

To make this even more head-spinning, these accusations come from the mouths of people long suspected of anti-Semitism. And the Jewish community has come to the defense of these women.

In a presidential rally in North Carolina, after President Trump singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a Somali refugee and naturalized American citizen, and accused her of hating America and Jews. His mob-like crowd broke into a chant: “send her back, send her back!” I watched with a cold chill. In America, we have free speech. In America, there is not one prevailing viewpoint. In America, we know the danger of scapegoating, of demonizing the other.

Read The Full Article

In other news…

This Is Who Trump Is

Day 911: Friday, July 19

President Donald J. Trump talks with reporters along the South Lawn of the White House Friday, July 19, 2019, prior to boarding Marine One to begin his weekend trip to Bedminster, N.J. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

President Donald J. Trump talks with reporters along the South Lawn of the White House Friday, July 19, 2019, prior to boarding Marine One to begin his weekend trip to Bedminster, N.J. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

After spending days of telling four freshmen congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries, things took an even more disgusting turn on Wednesday. At President Trump’s rally in North Carolina, the base that brought us “lock her up!” burst into a racist “send her back” chant targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). It rattled Americans.

On Thursday morning, even some Republican lawmakers found this a bridge too far, taking to Twitter to condemn the chants.

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To be clear here, Republicans weren’t angry about the sentiment of the “send her back” chant. They were angry that Trump is now more blatantly doing what they’ve been subtly doing since the Southern Strategy began in the 1960s. Republicans appear to be perfectly fine with stoking racism in the base but don’t like when it’s done so obviously.

Back to the news. After the backlash, President Trump said that he wasn’t happy with the chants in an apparent condemnation. As of Thursday, this is where we stood in a nutshell:

By Friday, President Trump did exactly what he did after he was forced to backtrack his “blame on both sides” comments pertaining to Charlottesville in 2017. Then, Trump doubled down and said there were “very fine people” among the neo-Nazi protestors. Today, he did something very similar by calling those at his rally who launched that racist chant “incredible patriots”.

President Trump’s charges of anti-Semitism against Omar ring hollow while he allows anti-Semitism to thrive within his own base. Today, Trump was finally asked why he believes it’s perfectly fine for him to criticize America but not the Dem congresswomen? Trump dodged the question. As we know, President Trump has disparaged America more than any other President in modern history.

As we’ve touched on multiple times this week, President Trump’s political platform is built on a foundation of hatred. His lifetime of racist acts are well-documented. This is who he is. Don’t be fooled by any momentary disavowals. Trump will turn these congresswomen of color into his political targets because his base is motivated by grievance. We can only expect this white nationalism to get worse as 2020 approaches.

In other news…

Rantt Media’s comprehensive articles source reporting from top news organizations, but they’re also built on brilliant analysis from our team. We are independently-owned and completely ad-free. We strive for quality, not clicks. We take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for our newsletter or joining our community chatroom where you can talk news with our team and other like-minded individuals:

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Unpresidented // Donald Trump / Racism / Republican Party / White Nationalism
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by: Ahmed Baba

Ahmed Baba is the Co-Founder and President of Rantt. Writer of Unpresidented, Ahmed documented and analyzed every day of the Trump presidency. He's also a columnist at The Independent and his work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Blavity, Newsweek, The Telegraph, and more. He can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @AhmedBaba_.

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