Time for Sober-minded Trump Supporters to Denounce His Bigotry
President Trump's recent retweet of a series of anti-Muslim propaganda videos by a white nationalist leader in the United Kingdom is emblematic of an administration which appeals to bigotry and incites fear. When Mr. Trump shared fraudulent videos allegedly depicting Muslims migrants of committing offenses against Europeans, he added but another feather in his cap for appealing to white nationalists which he apparently views as a strong part of his base. In doing so, he is not only sowing seeds of hatred at home but is fueling a dangerous climate abroad. It is time for Trump supporters who are not racists disavow his repeated appeals to our worst inclinations for his small-minded political purposes.
Relating to Trump's recent retweet, he shared anti-Muslim videos from a white nationalist leader who is part of an organization called Britain First, an organization which has held "Christian patrols" and "solidarity patrols" to keep streets safe from Muslims and Jews. Britain First's name is meant to convey that Anglo Christians should be superior in the U.K. similarly to the code language that Trump has used such as "Put America First" and "Make America Great Again." Hence after basically every speech and tweet in which the president invokes such language directed against immigrants and brown and black folks, he gets applauded by white supremacist leaders like David Duke. After the recent Trump retweet of fake videos that stir anti-Muslim sentiments, Duke tweet "This is why WE LOVE TRUMP..."
This of course was not the first time nor will be the last in which Trump will tweet or share something with overtly bigoted implications. One only needs to look at the responses in his campaign rallies while his first year in office. Cheers from supporters as he talked of banning Syrian refugees from entering America to the enduring chants of "Build that wall" are but some of the evidence. Approvals from the Alt-Right when he stated that there were "fine people" among the tiki-torch caring white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia early this year, imagery that reminded my mother of when she went to segregated schools in Jim Crow Virginia in the 50's and 60's, is but more evidence.
There is no doubt that hundreds of thousands of Americans who voted for Trump are not white nationalists. Some could not fathom having another Clinton in the Oval Office. Others believed that he could revive the economy and bring industrial jobs back to America. And of course, there were voters who are against abortion and voted for him hoping that more conservative judges would be put on the bench especially the U.S. Supreme Court.
Though there are arguments which can be made for all of the above, it is now time for those voters to admit that we have Bigot in Chief residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Racism and xenophobia can only exist when the majority of people remain silent. Americans of all political persuasions must resolutely state that we want a better America which celebrates diversity and eschews bigotry. "In order to form a more perfect union" as the preamble of the Constitution states requires us to not support intolerance within our midst. Mr. Trump's anti-Muslim retweets are just another reminder that the most vocal bigot who needs to be confronted in America now is unfortunately our president.
Dawud Walid is currently Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) and an imam who delivers sermons throughout the United States.
