Trump says he still plans to rig the census — his officials are just lying
Trump insists he still wants to rig the 2020 census even after his own administration has given up on the effort.
Trump effectively called several members of his own administration liars in a bizarre Wednesday morning statement that implied he is still trying to rig the 2020 census.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration did not give good enough reasons for adding a racist question about citizenship to the 2020 census, and therefore could not include the question. On Tuesday, both the Department of Justice and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that the 2020 census would be printed without the citizenship question.
But Trump apparently did not get the memo.
“The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE!” Trump said Wednesday morning. “We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question.”
Ross released a statement on Tuesday saying, “The Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question. My focus, and that of the Bureau and the entire Department is to conduct a complete and accurate census.”
Further, a Department of Justice lawyer sent an email stating, “We can confirm that the decision has been made to print the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire without a citizenship question.”
If Trump is accusing journalists of producing fake news by printing the statement of Trump’s commerce secretary, then Trump is accusing his own administration officials of producing fake news.
Trump is required by both federal law and the U.S. Constitution to conduct a census starting in April 2020.
Experts agree that the addition of a citizenship question would have led to a massive undercount of American residents, disproportionately Hispanic and black residents. A Republican operative pushed to add the citizenship question because it would be “advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.”
Despite a Supreme Court ruling, and despite statements from numerous federal officials including a Cabinet secretary, Trump still seems unwilling to give up on the idea of rigging the census to help Republicans.
It is unclear how accusing his own administration officials of lying furthers his goal.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
Recommended
Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is launching a new ad today with a focus on health care costs, part of a larger push by the campaign to persuade Americans that former President Trump would revisit his attempts to do away with the Affordable Care Act if (ACA) elected to a second term.
By Kim Lyons - November 30, 2023
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott drops out of 2024 presidential race
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott announced Sunday he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
By Robin Opsahl - November 13, 2023
Biden infrastructure law helps Pennsylvania’s small manufacturers
'This investment will help create jobs in our region, and it’s exactly the kind of funding we need to expand American manufacturing, innovation, and production,' Sen. John Fetterman said.
By Oliver Willis - October 20, 2023
