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We had three mass shootings back to back. THREE. And the saddest part is, at this point, the USA has gotten used to this sort of violence, but people are still upset. After dozens were killed in Gilroy, Dayton, and El Paso, even President Trump is criticizing white supremacy. But why?
Trump said, “I am concerned about the rise of any group of hate… whether it’s white supremacy, or any other kind of supremacy.”
Does this seem familiar? If it does, it’s probably because he said something similar after white supremacists killed a woman in Charlottesville in 2017.
Two years ago the president’s response to an open white supremacist murder was, “There are very bad people on both sides.” He did this to minimize the huge threat of white supremacist racism in the U.S. But it’s already been made clear that’s what helped him get elected.
We can’t ever forget his racist comments that included encouraging violence against Black people at his rallies or spreading bigoted lies about former President Obama’s birth. This has always been a part of his brand and it’s impossible to separate that from what’s going on now.
We’re going to hear a lot of people who make racist comments condemning racism because the country is experiencing what seems to be an increasing wave of racist violence. However, that doesn’t mean we should be naive or forget who’s been encouraging this hate!