Who was disparaged, Baltimore or president?
Associated Press reporter Will Weissert opens with the allegation that Donald Trump has put race at the forefront of his re-election campaign. No, Mr. Weissert, Democrats and the media, including you, have made race an issue.
When the president refers to Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” the media seize yet another opportunity to impugn Trump and label his observation as racist. Well, rats are vermin, and they run rampant in parts of Baltimore, which is the definition of the word “infestation.” Even the former mayor of Baltimore was horrified at what she saw when touring parts of her city in 2018, shocked at the stench of dead animals and rats everywhere. Now we are even being told that the word “infest” is a racial slur, adding to a long list of unacceptable words that need to be avoided.
When conditions like those in Baltimore are allowed to fester over the years in a congressman’s district, calling them out is not racist just because that congressman happens to be African-american; nor is criticizing four freshman congresswomen for their ongoing vilification of America, its history and relations with Israel. Their ethnicity is not the issue, but the media and Democrats have attempted to make it so. Referring to gang members who kill by prolonged torture as “animals” is a comment most people would have no problem with, yet Weissert turns it into a racist remark.
Yes, sadly, racism does exist in America and around the world, but the kneejerk reaction to attribute to racism anything the president does or says that peripherally involves a person of color demeans the power of the word “racist” and is an unfortunate trend in politics these days.
Our president is stirring a race war as fast as he can. That is not OK. This is America, where blacks, Hispanics, Asians, natives and others have laid down their lives for me, and I am trusting that my fellow grumpy old white guys will stop this wicked lunacy in its tracks. You are over the line, Trump.