Earlier this week, Donald Trump went viral once again—this time for his remarks regarding Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the US District Court Judge for the Southern District of California presiding over a fraud case against Trump University
In an interview last week, Trump called Judge Curiel a “hater,” and asserted that the judge was being unfair to him, that the judge was incapable of being impartial because he is “Hispanic” and because Trump is building a wall. In other words, and according to Trump, Judge Curiel is unable to fulfill his job because of his Mexican heritage. (Yes, these were comments made in 2016 by the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.)
By the way, Judge Curiel is Mexican American, and was born and raised in Indiana.
Certainly, Trump’s statements were racist and inappropriate. Perhaps that’s why several Republican lawmakers immediately came out and denounced them—among those were House Speaker Paul Ryan, who blatantly called Trump’s statements “racist,” and Majority Leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell. While I understand why members of the party may feel obliged to reprimand Trump for his rhetoric towards the judge, I don’t understand their delay and sudden sense of outrage.
Let’s be real here—Trump’s most recent comments are classic Trump comments. His racism and blatant disrespect is not new. This is the same man who repeatedly disrespected women, encouraged physical violence against his [black] detractors at campaign events, called for the ban of an entire religious group, and consistently criminalized the Hispanic immigrant community to justify the building of a wall. Trump’s comments regarding Judge Curiel are absolutely, 100% aligned with how he has portrayed himself the entire election season. Which is why I call bluff on the republican party’s sudden outrage and their recent enlightenment on what “racism” is and sounds like.
If it took Trump’s most recent statements for these lawmakers to begin calling out his racist rhetoric for what it is, I question their ability to really see and understand what qualifies as being “racist” at all. And this is incredibly problematic given the fact that these are the individuals who are responsible for writing laws, confirming judges, and making decisions that impact lives of marginalized people. As much as Trump’s statements have made a buzz, I think the reactions are critically delayed. And in some ways, the former silence of our nation’s leaders is just as racist and dangerous as his rhetoric.
