Trump's Promise to Suburbanites Decried as Racist

President says he'll protect them from low-income housing
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 30, 2020 2:33 AM CDT
Trump's Promise to Suburbanites Decried as Racist
President Donald Trump delivers remarks about American energy production during a visit to the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Midland, Texas.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Reaction was pouring in after President Trump on Wednesday promised those "living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream" that he would protect them from low-income housing being built in their neighborhoods. He first made the vow in a tweet, which he followed up with remarks during a visit to Texas. "People fight all of their lives to get into the suburbs and have a beautiful home," he said while touting his administration's recent rolling-back of an Obama-era program meant to combat racial disparities in housing. "There will be no more low-income housing forced into the suburbs. It’s been hell for suburbia. ... Enjoy your life, ladies and gentlemen.”

  • The New York Times puts it bluntly, declaring in its headline that Trump is "play[ing] on racist fears of terrorized suburbs to court white voters." Last week, Trump similarly courted the suburbs, warning "the Suburban Housewives of America" that "Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream.” He previously accused Joe Biden of wanting to make once "thriving" suburbs "MUCH WORSE," while he wants to "preserve" them. Esquire puts it thusly: "The President Just Went Beyond a Dogwhistle With His Suburbs Doomsday Talk."

  • Per Fox News, housing advocates are calling this "a racially charged appeal to white voters."
  • Elizabeth Warren tweeted, "The AFFH rule that Trump ripped up was about helping cities address our country’s ugly legacy of government-backed housing discrimination and segregation. This is blatant racism from the President of the United States. And it’s disgusting." She added that Trump is "using racist fear-mongering to say he’s happy to dismantle civil rights in search of a political advantage. And he's demeaning the humanity of so many low-income people who his administration continues to disrespect and harm financially."
  • A Democratic pollster points out that Trump has a dated view of the suburbs: "The reality is that more and more suburban voters have embraced diversity as a positive thing for their community. They support the Black Lives Matter movement, and from an aspirational perspective, they want their children to grow up in a more tolerant and less divided country."
  • The response from a Biden rep: “Instead of finally leading, Donald Trump is yet again attempting to distract from his catastrophic, failed response to the pandemic by trying to divide our nation. Turning Americans against each other with total lies is unacceptable for a commander-in-chief at any time, but it’s especially heinous to do so in a moment of worsening crisis.”
(More President Trump stories.)

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