Calling white supremacists “very fine people” after the tragic events at Charlottesville isn’t the only time that Trump has defended the extreme right fringe that should be confronted as not representing our country, but it might be the most notorious. In fact, Trump, himself, has demonstrated bigoted and racist behavior his entire life. For years, Trump also perpetuated the birther movement, claiming without basis that Obama had no right to be president because he wasn’t born in the USA. It’s no wonder that he failed to attend the funeral for longtime civil-rights advocate, Elijah E. Cummings.
The unfortunate reality is that white supremacists, anti-Semites, homophobes, and other prejudiced ignoramuses have found their voice in Trump and have felt free to mobilize and share their views both on social media and in person. Trump has never disassociated himself from these people because a) he realizes they support him at the polls and b) he harbors similar views to at least a certain extent and condones their behavior. We witnessed this conflicted behavior again during the first 2020 presidential debate when Trump refused to denounce white extremists, opting instead to tell his supporters to “Stand back and stand by”. Overnight this became a rallying cry and shoulder patch emblem for The Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violent confrontations. Meanwhile, the MAGA hat remains a white supremacist symbol for the safe-haven that Trump has provided bigots and racists which is why, for most democrats, MAGA is viewed with repulsion and disgust.
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