Donald Trump is many things: a bully; an amoral, cut-throat businessman; a showman; a narcissist (probably); a misogynist (probably); a pragmatist; a sexist; an ignoramus; a builder; a risk-taker; a believer in conspiracy theories; a philanderer; an exploiter (of women, people’s gullibility and fears, others’ weaknesses).
Many of these things are bad enough in themselves, and some are disqualifying, in a presidential candidate. But the Democratic line seems to be that Trump is a racist. Much as The Donald disgusts me, I’m not sure it’s true, notwithstanding his ugly comments about the “Mexican” judge, as well as some of his other statements.
Here’s the first definition of racism that came up for me on Google:
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
The first part doesn’t seem to apply; the second, maybe–although Trump’s ignorant point about the judge being a “Mexican” seems (to my mind at least) to be more a matter of politics than of race.
Trump is a cad, no doubt. But let’s reserve the R-word for those who truly deserve it.
