Trump s Racist Comments and Behaviors

Chronological Record of Donald Trump’s Racist Comments and Behaviors
Story by Jacob Miller •

03/10/24
President Donald Trump claims he is not racist, stating that he is “the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered.” However, his actual record contradicts this. During his campaign, Trump made explicitly racist and bigoted remarks, such as calling Mexican immigrants criminals and proposing a ban on Muslims entering the US. This trend has continued into his presidency, including stereotyping a Black reporter and pandering to white supremacists after a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump’s racist behavior has not ceased since his election in 2016, as seen in his joke about the Trail of Tears.


In the 1970s, Trump’s first notable brush with allegations of racism occurred when the U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management Corporation for discriminating against Black tenants. In a lawsuit that would cement the beginning of Trump’s public association with racial controversy, federal officials found evidence of Trump refusing to rent to Black applicants and lying about apartment availability. He eventually signed an agreement in 1975 to not discriminate against renters of color without admitting to prior discrimination.
Top 10 Best Warranty Providers
Top10 Group
Top 10 Best Warranty Providers
Ad
This pattern of behavior continued into the 1980s. A former employee of Trump’s Castle accused the organization of discrimination, recalling an order to remove all black employees from the floor when Trump and his wife were about to arrive. In the case of the “Central Park Five” in 1989, Trump called for the return of the death penalty and continued to assert the guilt of the five wrongfully convicted young men, even after they were exonerated by DNA evidence.

The 1990s saw Trump’s racial insensitivity extend to the Native American community when he testified that certain Native American reservations operating casinos shouldn’t be allowed because “they don’t look like Indians to me.” Additionally, his company, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, incurred a $200,000 fine in 1992 for removing Black and women dealers from tables to satisfy a gambler’s prejudices.

First Step to Ace the ASVAB. Take a Practice Test.
Study.com/ASVAB
First Step to Ace the ASVAB. Take a Practice Test.
Ad
Moving into the 2000s, Trump continued to make racially charged remarks and decisions. In 2005, he proposed a racially divisive concept for “The Apprentice” which pitted white contestants against Black contestants. His role as a key figure in the “birther” conspiracy against President Barack Obama further highlighted his willingness to leverage racially charged controversies for political gain.

In 2011, Trump played a major role in promoting false rumors that Obama, the first Black president of the US, was not born in the country. He stated that he sent investigators to Hawaii to investigate Obama’s birth certificate. Obama subsequently released his birth certificate and referred to Trump as a “carnival barker.” Research has shown a strong link between birtherism, as the conspiracy theory is known, and racism. However, reports indicate that Trump has continued to promote this conspiracy theory in private.

In addition to suggesting that Obama was not born in the US, Trump also suggested that Obama may not have been a good enough student to gain admission to Columbia or Harvard Law School, and demanded that Obama release his university transcripts. Trump claimed, “I heard he was a terrible student. Terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?”

Trump’s presidential campaign and time in office were no different. He launched his 2016 campaign with rhetoric against Mexican immigrants and called for a travel ban from certain Muslim-majority countries.

As president, Trump’s comments following the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, his violent description of African countries and his tweets telling four congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries of origin were widely criticized as racist.

Donald Trump’s response to his recent criminal indictment in Georgia has mirrored past behavior, with attacks on Black district attorneys using terms such as “animal” and “rabid,” while his supporters on online platforms echo and amplify the racist rhetoric.

Relevant articles:

– Donald Trump’s long history of racism, from the 1970s to 2020

– Donald Trump was accused of racism long before his presidency, despite what online posts claim, AP News

– Trump’s attacks on prosecutors echo long history of racist language, PBS, Aug 22, 2023

– Racial views of Donald Trump, Wikipedia