I will probably be accused (again) of hating “white people” when I point out (again) that a large number of Trump’s supporters are white racists. But now I have a scientific study to back up the claim.
The study – conducted for the National Society of Sciences – finds “a large segment” of Trump’s voters were motivated not by economic concerns but by “issues that threaten white Americans’ sense of dominant group status.”
Or, as you and I might put it, they were worried about losing their white privilege. The study found that many Trump supporters were likely to believe white people are more discriminated against than people of color and that Christians and men are more discriminated against than Muslims and women.
No kidding.
These folks have a fitting champion in Trump.
You probably know he was fined for refusing to rent apartments to non-white people. You might know his closest advisers include white supremacists like Stephen Miller. You might even know his father was a Ku Klux Klan sympathizer.
And I’m sure you’ve read or heard about his yearning for Scandinavian immigrants (instead of immigrants from “sh– hole countries” in Latin America and Africa).
But for a brief interlude ecently, Trump seemed to back away from his overt racism.
Now, he is discarding his mask. Evidence of this includes the appointment of John Bolton as his National Security Adviser.
Bolton comes to the White House from the Gatestone Institute, a right-wing think tank that publishes such screeds as “Europe, the Great White Death,” which warned that Muslims are overwhelming western civilization.
Trump’s support does not come entirely from white racists, of course. Another single-issue group of his voters is the anti-abortionists, who expect Trump to appoint “pro-life” Supreme Court judges.
But white racists are an important part of his base.
Does that mean I hate white people? Of course not. I deplore racism but I don’t hate racist individuals. I pray for their enlightenment. Even Trump may hope for salvation if he is truly remorseful and changes his horrible ways.
I am just pointing out a worrying factor in our society in the hope that readers will take it into account as they decide how to cast their votes.
And I welcome debate on the issue – pro or con – as the November midterms draw nearer.
