6 of Trump's ugliest racist attacks on women of color

Trump’s racist attack on four Democratic congresswomen over the weekend is just the latest in a long line of disgusting comments he has made that target women of color.

On Sunday, Trump said that he thinks Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

All four congresswomen are American citizens. Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Pressley were born and raised in the United States, and Omar is Somali-American.

“THIS is what racism looks like,” Pressley wrote in response to Trump’s attack. “WE are what democracy looks like. And we’re not going anywhere. Except back to DC to fight for the families you marginalize and vilify everyday.”

This is far from the first ugly smear Trump has launched against women of color while in office. Here are some of the worst:

1) Asking a black reporter to set up a meeting with black members of Congress

In February 2017, during one of his rare official news conferences, White House correspondent April Ryan asked Trump whether he would include the Congressional Black Caucus in conversations about his urban agenda. Yamiche Alcindor

Trump shockingly replied by asking Ryan to set up the meeting for him — suggesting that he thought she had a connection to Congressional Black Caucus members just because she is also black.

“Set up the meeting,” Trump said. “Let’s go, set up a meeting. I would love to meet with the black caucus.”

It’s not a White House reporter’s job to set up meetings between the president and member of Congress. Trump insulted Ryan on multiple levels that day — and it wouldn’t be the first time she was targeted by Trump or his officials.

2) Calling a black reporter racist for asking about Trump’s support for white nationalists

Trump targeted another black White House correspondent, Yamiche Alcindor, in November.

The PBS reporter asked Trump about his open support for “nationalism,” coupled with his praise for other white supremacists. This angered Trump.

“That’s such a racist question,” Trump angrily replied.

3) Insulting the intelligence of a black congresswoman

Last June, Trump called Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) a “low IQ person” and “crazy” for her strong denunciation of his corruption and bigotry.

4) Suggesting a black congresswoman was crazy for demanding answers about a failed military operation

Rep. Fredericka Wilson (D-FL) called out Trump for ordering and mismanaging the doomed military mission in Niger that led to the deaths of four American soldiers in 2017.

Rather than address his failure as head of the military, however, Trump lashed out at the black congresswoman, referring to her as “Wacky Congresswoman Wilson.”

His vitriol against Wilson led to her receiving death threats.

5) Calling his own former black female adviser a “dog”

Trump called Omarosa Manigault Newman, formerly his only black adviser in the White House, a “crazed, crying lowlife” and a “dog” after she was fired last August from her position — and after she began to reveal the racism she observed from Trump behind the scenes.

6) Calling the mayor of San Juan “crazed and incompetent”

Trump and his administration badly mismanaged the response to the 2017 hurricane in Puerto Rico, and was criticized for it by San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.

Instead of apologizing or promising to do better, Trump decided in April to call a Latina public official of a U.S. territory “crazed and incompetent.”

Trump cannot handle criticism of his considerable shortcomings, particularly when it comes from women of color. And when women of color criticize him, Trump responds by insulting their intelligence, calling them crazy, or attacking them with other racist, sexist tropes.

Trump is a racist and a misogynist. It’s no wonder that he is so eager to attack women of color in particular.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.