The Problem Isn’t Trump—It’s the White Americans Who Voted for Him
What a relief — the damn election is over!
Right now, my emotions are running rampant! One minute I want to breathe a long-awaited sigh of relief, and the next I’m on the verge of a snotty-nose, body-quivering cry! This presidential election has taken its toll!
After four years of Trump’s compulsive lying, conspiracy theories, outright allegiance to white supremacists and frolicking with racists, the constant barrage of Twitter storms laced with despicable untruths, and the brazen rejection of people of color, I’m beyond baffled that a staggering percentage of Americans voted for the incumbent president — WTF!
Those of us with some sense of humanity desired to see a repudiation of Trump’s wretched behavior — a confirmation of rejection. Something! We got nada, except a picture of reality — America is a country filled with 72 million racists!
To condone Trump’s shenanigans, we’ve seen over the last four years, a person would have to think just like him. Let’s explore this idea for a moment!
Racism is the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people. — Anti-Defamation League
Trump supporters enable his behavior. The unconscionable behavior of the U.S. President, which we’ve painstakingly observed over the past four years, would appall any decent, civilized person. In utter disbelief, we shockingly asked, “How in God’s name is he allowed to behave in this manner?” There’s only one reason — his enablers, White Americans who voted for him, give him the power. Without their support, Trump wouldn’t have the freedom to do whatever he bids. Because of them, he has a green light to carry out his freaking nonsense, even if it means torching American democracy.
…there is substantial evidence that Trump has encouraged racism and benefitted politically from it. — The Brookings Institution
Trumpists feed him the power he craves, like a drug dealer freely giving a crack addict a daily fix — enabling him to rebel against the norms and democratic values.
Trump validates their racism. Trump gives his supporters permission to be racist. His vitriol soothes their bigoted feelings and validates their belief in white supremacy. With his approval, they don’t have to hide their racism. They’re free to let it all hang out! Even though civilized societies around the world view them as ignorant White Americans. Trump doesn’t ask for much from his supporters, except their fervor and passion to keep America Great [or white].
In Trump’s world, it’s okay to make derogatory remarks about women and people of color. He deports immigrant parents and takes away their children with no plan to reunite them. Roughly 500-plus children have no way of finding their parents. They’re in a country alone, without the love and protection of their parents. His supporters don’t object — they love it! What kind of person would approve of such deplorable actions carried out against people of color? A racist.
Fear of losing white privilege. What’s so valuable to Trumpists and provokes them to resist a Biden win over Trump? It’s their presumed loss of white privilege and power. But what they don’t realize, or maybe they do, is that Trump is only using them to get what he wants: power and fame. What we see is Trump’s perfect example of a modern-day drainage system, constructed by a white, elite class to siphon and benefit from the resources of a white underclass.
The election is now over. We didn’t see a repudiation of the last four hellish years. What we saw is that America is just as divided now than it was four years ago. And it’s not that Trump showed us this glaring division, it was the Americans who voted for him, who revealed what we didn’t want to believe was true!
