From telling four Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back" to their countries to using rhetoric that inspires white supremacist mass shooters, President Donald Trump's racism is growing even more blatant as the 2020 presidential election creeps closer.
South Bend, Indiana mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. Tapper asked Mayor Pete if he considered it a "racist act" to vote for Donald Trump in 2020.
Watch his answer below:
.@jaketapper: “Do you think that it’s a racist act to cast a vote for President Trump in 2020?” Presidential candi… https://t.co/Xy5neZa9VV— State of the Union (@State of the Union) 1566135065.0
"At best, it's looking the other way on racism," Buttigieg told Tapper. He continued:
“But I think a lot of people are wondering what kind of deal even that is supposed to be. You know you look at what he said in that rally: ‘You’ve got no choice but to vote for me.’ And if you look at the numbers, basically what he’s saying is, ‘Alright, I want you to look the other way on the racism, tolerate the negativity, accept the instability of my administration because I am going to deliver for you job growth almost as good as the Obama years.’ That’s what his argument amounts to now and that’s part of the reason why he’s unpopular.”
Buttigieg was referring to the president's rally in New Hampshire this past Thursday, where he told supporters they had "no choice" but to vote for him, or "everything" would be "down the tubes."
"You have no choice but to vote for me. Because your 401(k)s, down the tubes. Everything's going to be down the tub… https://t.co/DJ27E15HUP— Howard Mortman (@Howard Mortman) 1565966275.0
Many agreed with Mayor Pete's assessment.
@CNNSotu @jaketapper Hell yea it’s racist— Braker (@Braker) 1566141083.0
@CNNSotu @jaketapper Buttigieg is absolutely correct, people who vote for trump know he’s a racist, that his polici… https://t.co/UldJGCVl1x— jwbucked (@jwbucked) 1566151860.0
@CNNSotu @jaketapper PERFECT ANSWER. I’m rooting for @PeteButtigieg !— PepeEnzo (@PepeEnzo) 1566135252.0
@CNNSotu @jaketapper #RacistPresident #WhiteSupremacistTrump https://t.co/y1Eryd3fKF— Yvette Smith-Smith (@Yvette Smith-Smith) 1566135576.0
Buttigieg is far from the only candidate calling out Trump's racism.
On August 3rd, my hometown of El Paso, one of the safest cities in America, fell victim to one of the deadliest mas… https://t.co/bxPPmUjtLQ— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1565960923.0
Question: "Some of your Democratic colleagues have just straight-up come out and said that President Trump is racis… https://t.co/RHhmakNMHV— The Hill (@The Hill) 1549897260.0
Tapper: Do you agree that [Trump is a white supremacist or white nationalist]? Sanders: "I do. Look. It gives me t… https://t.co/MVrckpCpu0— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1564943451.0
A recent article from the Washington Post reported that the president, who has been accused of racism since the 1970s, hates being called racist:
Throughout his career as a real estate magnate, a celebrity provocateur and a politician, Trump has recoiled from being called the r-word, even though some of his actions and words have been plainly racist."
The president is doing everything he can to avoid being called a racist, just short of actually examining his character, reconsidering his rhetoric, or abandoning clearly racist policies.