Trump’s most recent racist attacks began two weeks ago with his tweets suggesting that Democratic congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar should “go back” to their supposed home countries because they dared to criticize his policies — especially the detention of black and brown migrants and refugees in concentration camps. To state the obvious, these congresswomen are Americans.
Last weekend, Trump turned eliminationist and genocidal language against Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, chair of the House Oversight Committee — which is investigating numerous aspects of the Trump presidency. Trump described “Cumming District” [sic] as “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and a “very dangerous & filthy place,” and implied that Cummings himself might be corrupt. In fact, Cummings is a well-respected and well-liked member of Congress who has prided himself on friendly relations with many Republicans (none of whom stood up to defend him against the president’s racist taunts).
View the compete August 1 article by Chauncey DeVega from Salon on the AlterNet website here.