David Gallo

Donald Trump is Trying Not to be Racist

In the most recent presidential debate, Donald Trump focused on racial issues in
America. As time runs slim, his lackluster polling numbers with minorities are becoming
increasingly important to address. However, Trump only seems able to associate African
Americans with crime and poverty, but the majority of African americans are living both above
the poverty line and outside of the inner cities (Semuels). The sentiment of helping African
Americans is good, but Trump cant escape his racism, proven with the nuanced ways he
describes the black community during the presidential debate.
In America, only 8 percent of African Americans live in an area of concentrated poverty
in a big city. This is a far different picture than the one painted by Trump every time he brings up
racial issues in America. However, we cant blame Trump--he was, after all, elected by the
citizens during the Primaries. Donald Trump is the product of a frustrated, stagnant, and white
middle class who have felt like a persecuted minority during the Obama years. In the wealthiest
era of all time, middle-class wages have stagnated and the quality of life for most Americans
hasnt improved. With a general uneasiness toward the future and trillions of aggregate debt,
the white middle class has found solace in blaming immigrants for their problems. Donald Trump
is the perfect symbol of this movement, acting as a segregator of our nation and preaching to an
uneducated and angry electorate who blame Democrats and immigrants for their life problems.
One scandal after another, it seems that Donald Trump is immune to what would be
death blows for any other candidate historically. His voter base didnt gravitate to him for his
political expertise, rather he struck a chord with people who have felt left in the dark by
establishment politicians. This is the same reason self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders
gained so much steam, but on the opposite end of the political spectrum. Both Bernie and

Trump illuminate the frustration of the masses with the political status quo. However, Trumps
policies and viewpoints are far more corrosive to the social fabric of America by going against
the policies, such as loose immigration laws, that the country is built upon. Somehow, a racist
billionaire has become relatable to the working class by using a combination of simple, often
controversial rhetoric and media expertise. Creating the illusion that the privileged majority is
actually a persecuted minority is a tactic used by the most effective dictators, such as Adolf
Hitler. Awakening this sentiment by using anti-immigration and racist rhetoric directed towards
uneducated, white, lower-middle class Americans has enabled Trump to get so popular. The
fact that he is even in the running speaks volumes to the deeply divided and overall unhappy
majority of America, and reiterates the fact that racism never died.