In a searing commentary, The Los Angeles Times’ Editorial Board deemed President Donald Trump the nation’s “bigot-in-chief” hours after he fired off a series of blatantly racist tweets on Sunday.
The board called the posts “among the most disgusting” on the president’s Twitter feed, denouncing his attack on progressive Democratic congresswomen whom he said should “go back” to “the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
Trump appeared to be targeting the so-called squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All are lawmakers of color, and were born in the U.S. with the exception of Omar, who emigrated from Somalia with her parents as a child.
“He is simply spewing as usual, and in the process fanning the flames of disunity, chaos, prejudice and polarization ― all cleverly hidden behind a veneer of rote and thuggish patriotism,” the board wrote. “He is playing to the lowest, most degraded emotions of his supporters while reveling in the fury of his opponents. This is the definition of demagoguery.”
Though the board pointed out that Trump “is just trolling, as usual,” the editorial also grappled with the question of media attention to the president’s bigotry, which it argued was ultimately inevitable.
“He wants headlines, he spoils for a fight, he is hoping to exacerbate the tensions that have bubbled up between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and these four congresswomen,” the board said. “We shouldn’t rise to his bait, but how can we not? If we ignore him, we normalize his reckless behavior, and that’s even worse.”
Pelosi, whom Trump claimed in his tweets “would be happy” to see the congresswomen go, quickly condemned his statements as “xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation.”
Rebukes were also offered by each of the “squad” members, who lambasted Trump for “stoking white nationalism” and acting as a bully.
On Monday, the president continued to double down on his rhetoric, attempting to turn the tables on the lawmakers by accusing them of racism, “foul language” and “disgraceful behavior.”
Much of the GOP has remained silent on the remarks.