Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:33 pm
If anybody out there is still wondering whether Donald Trump’s reckless and offensive campaign rhetoric would translate to his presidency, the president-elect’s staffing choices during the transition should put all confusion to rest.
According to the Associated Press which cites a senior Trump official, Trump has offered the job of national security adviser to retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn – an anti-Muslim extremist.
If you weren’t already unsettled, the AP also notes that the role does not require any congressional confirmation and the person who fills the position “has frequent access to the president.”
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Flynn has served as an adviser to Trump throughout the campaign, which is unsurprising giving that he and the president-elect hold the same offensive views toward Muslims.
In a tweet earlier this year, Flynn urged his followers to share an anti-Muslim YouTube video, saying that fearing Muslims is “rational.”
Tweet:
Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions… https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU
— General Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016
The retired general, also an adviser for anti-Muslim group ACT for America, said in a speech earlier this year that Islam is a “cancer” and claimed it’s not even really a religion.
Trump’s choice of Flynn is unsurprising given the anti-Muslim aura that surrounded the president-elect during his campaign and has continued throughout the transition process.
Just yesterday, in fact, Trump supporter Carl Higbie revived discussions about Trump establishing a Muslim registry when he becomes president, saying the proposal is constitutional because similar things have been done in the past.
“We did it during World War II with Japanese,” Higbie said, referring to internment camps.
Choosing Flynn as a close adviser is the latest indication that Trump really does plan to move forward on some of the most dangerous policy plans he put forward during the campaign, whether its banning Muslims from entering the United States or forcing those already living in the U.S. to register with the federal government.
Donald Trump’s victory last week triggered widespread fear among many minority groups, particularly those in the Muslim community. The decisions Trump has made since, including the Flynn pick, have only worsened those fears.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
