Trump’s Racist Rhetoric is Dangerous, Republican Silence is Shameful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shin Inouye, [email protected], 202.869.0398
WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on Trump’s latest racist comments:
“Trump continues to belittle his office, endangering religious minorities and people of color in the process. From the Muslim ban to family separation, Trump has orchestrated a series of concerted, aggressive actions based in hate and exclusion, including his refusal to condemn white nationalism. Nativism and silencing dissent are the hallmarks of dictatorships, not democracies.
“As if conducting raids on migrant families were not enough for Trump, he is now attacking citizens serving in elected office with ‘go back to your country’ taunts, capitalizing on racist tropes and endangering people of color. Equally appalling is the silence of members of his own party. By ignoring his overt racism, they not only condone his actions – they enable them.”
Earlier this year, The Leadership Conference’s sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and others through their Communities Against Hate initiative, issued the Hate Magnified: Communities in Crisis report. As the report noted, nearly 40 percent of those perpetrating hate incidents invoked the name of an alt-right hate group, President Trump, or Trump-related rhetoric, according to database submissions.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.