As pressure grows, Trump’s talk on race grows far less subtle

Behind in the polls, Trump is turning his attention to talk about race and suburbs. It’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

During his Fox News interview yesterday, Donald Trump was reminded that many U.S. military leaders believe it’s time to change the name of bases named after Confederate generals. “I don’t care what the military says,” the president said. “I’m supposed to make the decision.”

Moments later, the Republican added, “We’re going to name it after the Rev. Al Sharpton?”

In context, no one had brought up the MSNBC host and no one has suggested naming installations after Sharpton. Trump simply wanted to defend the practice of naming U.S. military bases after Confederates who took up arms against American troops. And to help bolster his case, the first name that came to the president’s mind as an example of someone who shouldn’t be honored was a prominent voice from the African-American community. Continue reading.