Trump claims affordable housing will 'destroy suburbia'

Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that if former Vice President Joe Biden is elected, he will somehow “destroy the suburbs.”

Trump made the comment in a rambling answer to a reporter who asked him what he meant in a tweet Wednesday morning that stated the “suburban housewife” wants “safety” and doesn’t want “low income housing” to “invade” their neighborhood:

They’re gonna, in my opinion, destroy suburbia.

 

And just so you understand, 30% plus of the people living in suburbia are minorities: African American, Asian American, Hispanic American — they’re minorities. Thirty percent.

 

The number’s even higher, it’s they say 35, but I like to cut it a little bit lower. You know why? That way I couldn’t get myself in too much trouble with the fake news.

 

But 30% plus are minorities living in suburbia, and when they go in and they want to change zoning so that you have lots of problems where they want to build low-income housing, you want something where people can aspire to be there, not something where it gets hurt badly. And that’s what happens.

Trump has been making the argument for weeks now that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would hurt the suburbs by implementing policies meant to diversify suburban neighborhoods.

On July 1, Trump announced he was thinking of ending an Obama-era policy aimed at bringing fair housing and diversity to the suburbs, saying the policy was “having a devastating impact on these once thriving Suburban areas.”

Then, on July 23, Trump said he was officially revoking the fair housing policy, and wrote in a tweet directed to “suburban housewives of America” that “Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream.”

Trump’s comments have always employed racist dog whistles in an attempt to appeal to white suburban voters. Those voters have turned sharply against Trump since the 2016 election, helping Democrats win control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections and now helping give Biden a lead in the 2020 election.

Democrats immediately criticized Trump comments.

“It’s 2020 and the President of the United States just said he wants to reduce the number of people of color in the suburbs,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) tweeted. “Reflect on that, and don’t forget it.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.