A Democratic lawmaker called out Donald Trump on Wednesday for his petty attacks on the father of a UCLA basketball player, saying it’s “absolutely” about race.
Democratic Rep. John Garamendi said Trump’s childish Twitter attacks on LaVar Ball are part of a larger pattern of racially motivated feuds in which the president frequently engages.
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Trump has “been going after African Americans in many, many ways,” says Democrat Rep. John Garamendi about the President’s attacks on LaVar Ball, the father of a UCLA basketball player who was detained for shoplifting in China https://t.co/X5gSPZGJtn https://t.co/3IZPFMgBkD
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Citing other Trump attacks on minority groups, Rep. Garamendi said:
He’s been going after African Americans in many, many ways, and minorities generally. In fact, he started his campaign for president going after minorities. In that case, Mexican nationals here in the United States as well as people of Mexican origin who have been here forever – took on a federal judge. It goes on and on and on, one minority after another, and right now he’s focusing on the African Americans. Obviously, the football players who are protesting by not standing for the National Anthem. Protest is a tradition in America, but yet the president seems to be focused basically now on African Americans, previously on others.Â
This particular feud between Trump and LaVar Ball is clearly a stunt by both men to get attention and stroke their own egos. Americans have been collectively rolling their eyes at both as they continue to hurl insults at one another.
But with Trump, this is just the latest in his long history of targeting minorities.
He kicked off his campaign by attacking Mexican immigrants. He has repeatedly demonized Muslims, particularly after terrorist attacks, even proposing they be put under surveillance or kept out of the country altogether. He attacked a federal judge during the campaign because of his Mexican heritage.
The list goes on and on – and anybody who doesn’t think there is a racial element to these attacks either can’t see or doesn’t want to. And each time the president engages in this type of behavior, he only worsens political and racial divisions in the United States.
All of this may give fuel to the small base of angry white voters who still stand with Donald Trump, but it’s bad for the country.
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.
