President Trump continues to stir up racial tensions and demonize the poor in an attempt to charge his base prior to the November election.
During a Facebook Live "telerally" with Iowan supporters on Tuesday, July 28, President Trump claimed:
"[Democrats] want to end school choice, they want to abolish charter schools, it's ridiculous, they want to abolish and really hurt the suburbs, because under their plan, that's very much agreed to by them, they want to make it worse."
"They don't mind if low-income housing is built in a neighborhood, in a beautiful suburb of Iowa, but a beautiful suburb anywhere in the country."
"They want low – and this has been going on for years, Obama made it much worse, and now they want Cory Booker to run that program, Cory Booker of New Jersey, to run that program and make it many times worse than it is right now."
He finally concluded:
"People have gone to the suburbs, they want the beautiful homes, they don't have to have a low-income housing development built in their community, which is going to reduce, which has reduced the prices of their homes, and also increased crime substantially."
Putting aside the borderline incoherence of the President's remarks, his statements were also flagged by many as unashamedly racist.
Even more telling than Trump's dogwhistle of "low-income housing" was his seemingly random inclusion of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
No one held any illusions as to why President Trump brought Cory Booker, who is Black, into the conversation.
Many thought President Trump was going to great lengths to let White people in Iowa know he wants to keep their communities White.
Aside from the obvious racism, President Trump was also inaccurate in his characterization of low-income housing.
A 2016 study revealed that adding low-income housing to poor neighborhoods "lowers crime and boosts property values."
President Trump is hoping statements like these will appeal to voters come November, but Americans who find racism abhorrent are having trouble stomaching them.
