Mayor tells Donald Trump to go to Hell
On Tuesday the House passed Resolution 489, officially condemning Donald Trump as a world-class bigot, finding that his “racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.” Trump’s comments were indeed racist, but in uttering such crap he also succeeded in exposing his hypocrisy when it comes to immigration policy.
Of all the many racist things that Trump has said and done since taking office, his tweet on Sunday was the last straw, the spark that led the House to take swift action to formally condemn him. In that tweet, Trump suggested that four nonwhite Congresswomen should “go back” to their country of origin (even though they are all citizens and three were born in the United States) if they don’t like America.
Without meaningful pushback from his spineless Republican party, an unhinged Trump gleefully doubled down on Monday. Addressing reporters outside the White House at a “Made in America” showcase, Trump declared, “If someone doesn’t like our country, if someone doesn’t want to be in our country, they should leave.” Later, he tweeted emphatically, “IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice, and your choice alone.” By Tuesday, Trump was riding so high on his cloud of hatred that he even joked to reporters at a Cabinet meeting, “You can leave. That’s your option. You can leave anytime.”
Beyond the shameful racism inherent in Trump’s comments, it is quite interesting to observe Trump portraying the world as a place where people who hate where they live can simply leave their country and choose to live in another one. Many people hate where they live and have been trying to come to the United States to seek asylum. As Resolution 489 reminds us, “the Founders conceived America as a haven of refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution.” Yet, Trump has made it his mission not only to make asylum nearly impossible to attain but to torture families who even dare try to do what Trump implied is easy and commonplace.
Trump defended himself on Monday by tweeting, “I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” The cowardly bigot no doubt forgot to check his bone spurs. We have just witnessed Trump’s ugly words get drowned out by a blue wave, and Trump has now officially earned the title “Condemned President Donald Trump.” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said it perfectly when addressing reporters yesterday: “If Donald Trump ever has to go back where he came from, he’s going to have to go to hell.”
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month