As many people begin to fully recognize the gravity of the recent inauguration, it becomes clear Donald Trump will be a president for only one demographic: straight white men.
Trump’s blatantly racist, sexist and homophobic views have been clear since day one, but after winning a second term as president, this favoritism will only become more prevalent.
This year’s Black History Month theme is African Americans and Labor. The theme “intends to encourage broad reflections on intersections between Black people’s work and their workplaces” during history “and throughout the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora,” according to the website.
Though the summary of this year’s theme goes into far greater detail about the importance of the topic, one does not need to read the whole document to immediately see the dichotomy between it and Trump’s philosophies.
Trump has received support from multiple people, both past and present, who have been outwardly racist. Jared Taylor, the editor of “American Renaissance,” said in 2016, “I urge you to vote for Donald Trump because he is the one candidate who points out that we should accept immigrants who are good for America. We don’t need Muslims. We need smart, well-educated white people who will assimilate to our culture.”
Though this was nine years ago, it still goes to show Trump has spent his entire presidential career being supported by questionable characters. His Cabinet picks only exacerbated this.
His secretary of state pick, Marco Rubio, is an infamous senator from Florida. Rubio has had a strong history of racist remarks and policies, including calling critical race theory “Marxist-inspired indoctrination.”
“Teaching students that they are innately part of an oppressor class or oppressed class is part of the Left’s radical agenda to rewrite the history of America,” Rubio said.
Additionally, Rubio defended a canvasser exposed for being linked to white nationalist groups and racist remarks. Clearly, Trump is not concerned about the racist history of his appointed members.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services, comes with his own slew of issues that span far beyond racism. The most discussed aspect of his political ideologies has been his anti-vaccine views, but he has also shown racism on multiple occasions.
In one instance, Kennedy referred to a Black man and a multiracial man as “gangsters,” a stereotypical term used to describe Black people. Additionally, he stated during the COVID-19 pandemic that the virus targeted specific races and ethnicities and left others unaffected.
Finally, JD Vance, Trump’s vice president, has been a part of a multitude of problematic remarks, including saying left-leaning people use racism as a “cudgel to shut us up and make it impossible to complain about obvious problems.”
Though these are only a few examples of people Trump has appointed to lead the country, it is clear he is not taking into account the lives and well-being of minorities, especially Black people.
During his campaign, he questioned if his opponent, former vice president Kamala Harris, was really Black.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said. “So, I don’t know, is she Black or is she Indian?”
Problematic in a number of obvious ways, this statement makes Trump’s lack of education and care surrounding race embarrassingly clear.
The summary of the Black History Month theme this year goes into detail regarding the importance of African American history in the U.S., as well as the many contributions their work has made to the foundation and growth of the country.
“African Americans’ contributions to the built landscape can be found in every part of the nation as they constructed and designed some of the most iconic examples of architectural heritage in the country, specifically in the South,” says the summary.
Black History Month should be a time spent celebrating Black culture, excellence and this year’s theme of labor. Unfortunately, the next few months will be spent mourning the idea of a president for all people, not just a specific demographic.
Trump being elected for a second term is a direct attack on every minority in this country — it is not off-base to hold resentment toward those who voted for his return to office. All hope, however, is not lost. Just because the U.S. has a racist, homophobic and sexist bigot of a president does not mean the citizens will have to follow suit. Now, and throughout the celebration of Black history, it is more important than ever to stand up for what you believe in, keep your head held high and celebrate the minorities who continue to make this country better.
