Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was swiftly fact-checked after using a $5,000 check former President Donald Trump once wrote to support Vice President Kamala Harris' re-election campaign as Attorney General of California as proof he can't be racist.
Boebert's action came after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris. At 81, Biden faced increasing concerns within his party about his age and capacity to serve another term, along with fears of a potential loss to former President Donald Trump—who is 78—in November.
In his announcement, Biden backed Harris as the Democratic nominee to replace him, calling it "the best decision I’ve made."
After Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz shared an image of the check in question and mockingly referred to it as a "wise investment," Boebert lashed out with the following remark:
"Checks receipt: Trump isn't racist.'
You can see her post and the image of the check below.
@JaredEMoskowitz/X
Whether Boebert likes it or not, Trump has long been accused of racial animus.
Well before he ever ran for the executive office, Trimp was sued for housing discrimination based on race. His casino also lost a civil lawsuit for transferring Black card dealers off of tables to accommodate racist clients.
It should come as no surprise Trump was accused of harboring racial animus during his entire time in office. Trump also has a well documented history of racism against Indigenous peoples.
Within days of being sworn in, Trump subjected people from seven Muslim-majority countries to a travel ban, earning the praise of Republicans who endorsed his proposal for a “total and complete shut down” of Muslim immigration to the United States.
Immigrants from non-White countries were made to feel unwelcome under his administration as a result of immigration architect and senior adviser Stephen Miller's draconian policies.
Trump often took aim at BIPOC migrants, particularly those crossing the nation's southern border, as "rapists" and targeted them under a "zero tolerance" family separation policy that was widely condemned by human rights groups.
Trump infamously suggested those from Haiti and African nations should not be allowed to immigrate to the United States because they come from "sh*thole countries."
While in office, Trump also made headlines after sources confirmed he once assumed a group of racially diverse Democratic staffers were waiters, referring to staffers of color for then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who served hors d’oeuvres at an event shortly after he assumed office.
During that same meeting, according to sources who spoke to New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, Trump claimed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent during the 2016 presidential election, had won the popular vote only because of "illegals" who'd cast votes.
And, rather infamously, Trump for years promoted "birtherism," which doubted or denied former President Barack Obama was a United States citizen, implying he was ineligible for the nation's highest office. In fact, Obama was born in Hawaii to a U.S. citizen, making him a natural-born citizen.
Given these facts, Boebert's remarks didn't go over well.
Of course there is considerably more evidence of Trump's record of racism.
Indigenous groups found themselves in a protracted battle for their tribal and ancestral lands after Trump gave fossil fuel companies even more freedom to drill for oil and natural gas. Indigenous leaders also repeatedly requested Trump stop using Pocahontas as a slur against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Trump infamously used the name as a slur when welcoming WWII Navajo Codetalkers to the Oval Office while having photo ops in front of the portrait of self-proclaimed "Indian Killer" President Andrew Jackson that Trump had moved to the Oval Office.
Chinese people and those from other East Asian countries became more likely to be the victims of hate crimes after Trump employed racist rhetoric to blame China for the spread of COVID-19, which the Trump administration willfully ignored in the belief the pandemic would largely impact blue states.
In the summer of 2020, Trump criticized citizens who took to the streets to condemn racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd, suggesting they should be shot "when the looting starts," breathing life into stereotypes about people of color being more inclined toward criminality.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter