This new Donald Trump interview is utterly deranged, even for him
The words “tone deaf” and “out of touch” are often used in conversations about Donald Trump. His behavior during the racial unrest in our country reveals just how tone deaf and out of touch he is. He should be in his office, trying to formulate plans to deal with this. People are hurting, and he does not care. Perhaps it is the result of his racist upbringing and his former life where no one dared say “no” to him. To openly criticize taking down monuments that bring pain to so many people is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg for Trump’s unfeeling, uncaring nature, and it’s gotten worse.
In an interview with Catherine Herridge of CBS News, Trump claimed that more White people have died at the hands of police than Blacks and the confederate flag is a “beloved symbol.” To whom, pray tell? Certainly not to the many Americans who believe in and fight for equal rights. The confederate flag is merely a reminder of a very dark stain on this country’s history. It is not “culture;” it is a symbol of our negative past. As if this was not enough, Trump also decided to speak about the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protestors, telling Herridge that “they had a right to do so.” No, they did not. These people were not trespassing; they were walking down a road. Just because the road came near these people’s house gave them no right to pull out their guns. You can bet your last dollar that had the roles been reversed, Black people pointing guns at whites would have been under the jail in no time flat or dead.
While Trump told Herridge that the murder of George Floyd was “terrible,” when she asked why Black people continue to die at the hands of police, Trump responded, “So are white people.” He went on to tell Herridge that she asked “a terrible question,” which is Trump-speak for “I have no plausible response to your question.” Politico called Trump on his non-response by pointing to multiple studies that show Blacks are more likely to die at the hands of police than Whites. One study went deeper. While 52% killed by police in 17 states between 2009 and 2012 were White, Blacks have a 2.8 higher likelihood of being killed. This must be where Trump got his idea that more White people die at the hands of the police than black. Heaven forbid Trump would ever read past a headline to get the full story.
Trump further told Herridge: “I know people that like the Confederate flag, and they’re not thinking about slavery.” What a shock that Trump knows people who like the flag. Hell, it is probably hanging in his house. Instead of speaking to the unrest and trying to find some compromise, Trump decided to focus on his racism. Once again, Trump is on the wrong side, and once he is defeated in November, he will be nothing more than another dark stain on our history.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years