The Pied Piper of Racism

Donald Trump brought his white people’s rally to Greenville yesterday and didn’t disappoint. He continued his attack on the so-called Squad, again accusing Rep. Ilhan Omar of supporting Al Qaeda. The crowd responded by chanting “Send her back.” Trump watched proudly at what his rhetoric had inspired and waited until his minions settled down before continuing his rant.

Trump has become the Pied Piper of Racism with Republicans across the board following him to some unknown hellscape of a country. As Trump incited the crowd, North Carolina’s GOP leaders looked on. Senator Thom Tillis was on hand. So was Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest. This morning, Republican state Representative Holly Grange announced her candidacy for governor with a video wrapping herself around the president. Loyalty to Trump and approval of his racism is a requirement to win GOP primaries.

While the rest of the country recoils in disgust at Trump’s proud displays of racism, the Republican Party embraces it. After he told The Squad to go back to their countries of origin, which ironically is the United States for three of the four, a poll showed Trump gained five points among Republicans. He lost ten among independents.

Across social media, Trumpists will scream in his defense, denying his racism and accusing Democrats of being the party of prejudice. It’s a bit rich since the vast majority of African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews and Asians favor Democrats over Republicans. Delusion and denial are key ingredients in embracing authoritarianism and cults of personality.

Read more: https://www.politicsnc.com/the-pied-piper-of-racism/