The president’s comments were the latest example of his refusal to acknowledge racial discrimination that even many in his own party have said must be addressed. But Trump, who recently retweeted a video of a supporter shouting “white power” and said he would oppose a bipartisan effort in Congress to remove Confederate names from military bases, has shown no intention of closing the racial gap of the country.
When asked in the CBS interview how he felt about using the Confederate battle flag in public settings like NASCAR racing, the President said, “For me, it’s freedom of expression. Very simple. I like it, I don’t like it, it’s freedom of expression. “
When asked if he understood that the flag was a painful symbol for many people as a reminder of slavery, Mr. Trump said, “Well, people love it and I don’t see, I know people who like the Confederate flag. and they are without thinking about slavery. ” He added: “I think it is freedom of expression, whether it’s Confederate flags or Black Lives Matter or whatever else you want to talk about.”
Four months after a pandemic that has cost more than 136,000 lives in the United States, and almost two months after the murder of a black man by a Minneapolis police officer sparked a nationwide outburst of anger at the Racial injustice, Trump still rarely mentions the pain that both crises have caused many Americans. Instead of offering sympathy and compassion, provoke and attack.
His comments in Tuesday’s interviews, one day as Florida once again broke its previous record of coronavirus deaths as Republicans pushed ahead with their plans to hold their convention in Jacksonville next month, came when he used a press conference that It was apparently to announce new legislation aimed at China hitting its opponent, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
“His agenda is the most extreme platform for any major party candidate by far in the history of the United States,” Trump said, calling Biden’s career a “gift to the Chinese Communist Party.”
In the course of his short time as a national political figure, Trump has used race, religion, and ethnicity to divide Americans. Five years ago, he announced that he was seeking the presidency by denigrating Mexican migrants as rapists and murderers. As a candidate, he called for “a complete and complete closure of Muslims entering the United States.”
