Media pundits are spending a lot of time pondering Donald Trump’s success. Talking heads, op ed pieces, long magazine articles go on and on while ignoring or minimizing the ugly truth: a big part of the answer is that Donald Trump openly appeals to racist prejudice and fear. And dyed in the wool racists get it.
Speaking Wednesday on his radio show, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke urged his racist supporters to help Donald Trump, saying: “He’s made it OK to talk about these incredible concerns of European Americans today.”
In case anyone missed the point, Duke said that “Voting for these people, voting against Donald Trump at this point, is really treason to your heritage.”
Duke added, “When this show’s over, go out, call the Republican Party, but call Donald Trump’s headquarters, volunteer,” he said. “They’re screaming for volunteers. Go in there, you’re gonna meet people who are going to have the same kind of mind-set that you have.”
Earlier this week, Iowa, high school students taunted a racially diverse opposing basketball team by chanting “Trump! Trump! Trump!” and recited Trump campaign statements about what he plans to do with immigrants and their children if he is elected.
So David Duke isn’t the only one picking up on Trump’s not-so-subtle message that his election will mean it’s open season for racist attacks on blacks. And on immigrants. And on Mexicans and Latinos. And Muslims. And gay people. And …
In other disgusting Trump news: A woman who in the 1990s had charged Trump with sexual assault and attempted rape but then dropped her lawsuit, has told the Guardian that she still stands behind her allegations.
The charges are sure plausible — just recall Trump moaning in public that he wished his daughter wasn’t his daughter so that he could sleep with her; or his saying about Fox News host Megyn Kelly, “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
Trump isn’t amusing. He’s a snake oil salesman in the service of capitalism, and what he’s selling is racism and sexism. His game is divide and conquer, pitting white against colored, men against women. If working and poor people are misled into voting for him, they (and all of us) will pay an enormous price.
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