Campaigning on Hate: How Pres. Donald Trump resurrected the radical right
By Mona Austin
A 28-year-old Army Vet from Baltimore, MD took a bus to NYC for no other reason than to stalk and kill black men. James Johnson stabbed and killed Timothy Caughman, 66, one innocent Black man and was stopped in his tracks before he could do more damage.
This type of state side terrorism is growing in various forms across the nation. Johnson, a white extremist has since been tied to a hate group.
There is no doubt that racial tensions were escalating before Donald J. Trump ran for U.S. president, but some people reject the idea that his rhetoric stoked the flames of racism that contribute to the ever-increasing racial divide in America and the resurgence of hate groups.
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| Witnesses of Charlottesville terror attack comfort each other on Aug. 12, 2017. |
The "Unite the Right" demonstration ended violently with a 20-year old Ohio man ramming his Dodge Charger into a crowd of peaceful protesters, claiming the life of a 32-year-old woman and injuring over 20 others. President Trump was condemned for not only taking over an hour to respond, but equating the malaise of the event to both sides being responsible.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has found and is tracking the connection between the escalating number of hate groups and Trump support online through social media. There was a strong uptick in hate groups since 2015. Anti-Muslim groups in particular rose from 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016. The link between Trump and hate groups has also been addressed by the Anti-Defamation League.
This report seeks to leave no doubt that hate groups have become emboldened and hate crimes are growing under Trump's leadership.
HOW WE GOT HERE
On Nov. 8, 2016 half of the nation was shell shocked by the stunning presidential victory of Donald J. Trump, a politically inexperienced billionaire. Throughout the campaign clandestine factions showed up at his rallies in force to show their support. In the bitter aftermath of the election, incidents of violent hate crimes have increased. Trump turned a blind eye to the support he was getting from the extreme right.
There is a question to examine as the nation undergoes its most radical shift in White House politics.
Q: How does a socially abrasive, inexperienced candidate, prone to making overtures of demagoguery with a low political IQ, who attracts White Nationalist extremists rise to the top?
A: Trump campaigned on fear and hate, pandering to an audience that was receptive to his unwavering message to "Make America Great."
Clearly, the tide of American politics was sinking to a new low during the 2016 election season. For 8 years GOP obstructionism ran a muck in the Obama Administration leaving Americans flustered with politics as usual. The timing was right for accepting a non-establishment candidate who promised to “drain the swamp” of sanguine career politicians.
Then GOP presidential candidate Trump out performed perhaps his and the expectations of those around him, continuing to ride the wave of victory during primary season, prospering off the frustrations of early voters and hate groups. "The Donald" accumulated a third win with a landslide of 71 percent at the Nevada caucus during primary season where there was a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) presence. Hooded KKK members rallied for Trump that night carrying hand written signs that alluded to his campaign slogan: "Trump, Make America Great Again." Klansmen openly demonstrating on the West Coast is as unusual sight, just as unseemly as the hate agitator ascending to the top of the polls.
Despite using tough language and rhetoric that assuaged race and class division, Trump has said that he hopes there is nothing in his message that is striking a chord with the wrong groups. However, until we have found nothing on record that indicates he has discouraged said groups from promoting incendiary messages concurrent to them, it will he nonsensical to disconnect them. The clandestine network of unknown numbers is infiltrating the West. There were 68 active hate groups in California as of 2015. In 2017 many were introduced to the Alt-Right, the group that organized the rally in Charlottesville.
There are many more examples of explosive encounters that occured during political season. The more conflict there was, the more silent Trump became. He simply allowed hate groups to express themselves without directly condemning them which made him appear dubious in his beliefs.
Rage that was percolating beneath the surface boiled over on February 27, 2016 in a clash between plain clothes KKK protesters and counter-protestors at a park in Anaheim, CA. One protestor's poster read "Fight back against the KKK," a message they took literally. CNN reports counter-protestors fought the Klansmen when they arrived. One of three counter-protesters was stabbed critically. Reportedly he was knived with the decorative end of a flagstaff.
At the time, controversy from Trump’s hedged response about accepting the support of David Duke, a former Grand Dragon of the KKK, followed him for over a week and he still managed to win 7 of the 10 states in the Super Tuesday primaries. Voters
The build up of support from hate groups was progressing without interference from Trump before he took office. He soaked up the attention he was getting from radical right wingers. It seemed like he could do no wrong despite revealing bigoted behavior and severe biases that many deemed racist and sexist. The list of offenses include leading the birther witch hunt against President Obama, mocking a disabled journalist, saying Mexican Judge Gonzalo Curiel presented a conflict of interest in over-seeing a Trump University case due to his race, accusing Muslims of being terrorists and numerous infractions against women.
THE WRITING WAS ON THE WALL
ABC News' analysis of entry polls in the Nevada primary reflected Trump was attracting people who were tired of establishment politicians and wanted a Washington outsider to lead the nation. Six in 10 caucus-goers answered they were "angry" at the way the federal government is being run.
Other poll data may show a significant portion of the real estate maven's advocates have racist proclivities. The New York Times referenced exit poll data that shows 20 percent of Trump supporters would not have opted to end slavery at the conclusion of the Civil War.
In South Carolina, the paper reported, 74 percent of voters polled favored a temporary ban on Muslims who are not citizens from entering the country. Forty one percent of this group voted for Trump.
In his outright demonization of minorities Trump aroused the interests of other White Supremacists, stoking racial tensions. One of his proposals is to build a wall along the Southern border of the U.S. that he claims he will have Mexico fund. His position on undocumented immigrants and referring to them as rapists and murderers, criminals, and thugs is appealing to anti-immigration White Nationalists.
Barack Obama did not have the luxury of associating with controversial figures when he ran for president. Conservatives pressured him for associating with Pastor Jeremiah Wright, who was accused of preaching Black Nationalist Theology. Obama was pressured into distancing himself from a man who treated him like a father based on speculation. Before becoming president Obama disassociated with Wright and his church.
Trump finally denounced the endorsement of Duke.
“Just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke,” Trump told Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."
“I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know — did he endorse me, or what’s going on? You know, I know nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists. And so when you’re asking me a question I’m supposed to be talking about people I know nothing about.”
“David Duke endorsed me? OK. I disavow, OK?,” said Trump nonchalantly.
But Duke and his supporters knew enough about Trump to elect him.
Following the Charlottesville incident, Duke was disappointed with Pres. Trump for revoking White Supremacists tweeting, "It was White Americans who got you in the presidency."
Pres. Trump's passivity in addressing the support of controversial groups and continually spouting rhetoric at his rallies that appealed to them was an endorsement. He took advantage of racist bigots by never condemning their actions or messaging while they were in his presence, thus resurrecting their evil ideology back to the forefront of American politics.
