An Associated Press (AP) poll conducted revealed that more than half the Americans consider Trump a racist. The greater numbers who think the President is a racist will, of course, include the majority African Americans and the Hispanic communities. They are mostly affected by Trump’s policies which have also made things worse for Muslims.
Apart from his policies, Donald Trump has also been rhetorical about immigrants living in America. As a campaign pillar, he asserted that he would deport all illegal immigrants in a bid to make “America great” again. He claimed during his campaigns that the immigrants take on American jobs and are the major cause for the rise in crime. As such, he vowed to deport them all. These sentiments are likely to make Americans consider Trump as a racist.
The AP-NORC Polls
The AP-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research conducted polls that revealed that 57% of Americans think that policies made during Trump’s tenure are bad for Muslims, 56% think the same policies have been bad for the Hispanics while 47% think the policies have been bad for the African Americans. On an overall outlook, 57% of Americans think that Trump is a racist stemming from his rhetoric and policies among other factors.
The results of the AP poll implicate the sheer divide on racial issues gripping the country during Trump’s presidency. For instance, his decisive statement after a white nationalist rally referred to African countries as “shitholes.” He has also gone further to lobby for the building of the Mexican border wall to keep off illegal immigrants.
As the Black History Month came to an end, the poll was designed to capture the views of African Americans and in turn, has shown that there is a deep level of pessimism among African Americans about the state of politics and the state of the country. 90% of the African Americans condemned the manner in which Trump was leading the country.
Response from White House and the President
When asked to comment on the poll results, Trump stated that he is not a racist. He added that he was the least racist person the reporters have ever interviewed as he attempted to make the interview more casual for his statements to be considered official.
On the other hand, the White House did not immediately respond to the request for a comment on the poll results.
