This Black History Month, American Bridge’s This F*cking Guy campaign is focusing on Donald Trump’s long history of racism. From his days as a New York developer discriminating against Black tenants to leading racist birther conspiracies against President Obama, Trump’s attitude toward Black Americans is incredibly consistent. And racist.
“There are numerous examples from Trump’s four decades in public life that highlight his blatant racism. He wields racism as a tool to divide Americans and serve himself, without caring who may be hurt by his actions or rhetoric. This fucking guy is a racist who cannot be president again,” said American Bridge 21st Century Presidential Campaign Communications Director, Brandon Weathersby.
Trump Real Estate Businesses’ Discrimination of Black Americans
In the 1970s, undercover testers for a government-sanctioned investigation found that Trump’s real estate company denied apartments to a Black investigator and offered two on the very same day to a white investigator. Trump rental agents employed by the Trumps told the FBI that only one percent of tenants at the Trump-run Ocean Terrace Apartments were Black, and that there were no Black tenants at Lincoln Shore Apartments.
Trump’s real estate company systematically discriminated against non-white prospective renters by secretly marking applications with codes, such as “C” for colored. In addition, employees allegedly directed Black people and Puerto Ricans away from buildings with mostly-white tenants.
The Department of Justice accused Trump and his father for refusing to rent to prospective Black tenants. In 1975, Trump settled with the Department of Justice and promised to adhere to a set of anti-discriminatory procedures and to provide the Urban League, a civil rights organization, with lists of rental vacancies on a regular basis. Just three years later, the Department of Justice accused Trump of violating the agreed-upon consent decree by steering Black families into a small number of poorly maintained properties. However, the consent decree expired before officials could gather sufficient evidence for a new case.
Trump Casino Businesses’ Discrimination of Black Americans
Trump’s Plaza Casino catered to casino patron Robert Libutti, a nationally-famous horse breeder with an explosive temper who would later be banned from New Jersey casinos for his ties to Mafia boss John Gotti.
In 1991, New Jersey state regulators found pit bosses at Trump Plaza discriminated against Black and female employees by removing them from craps games when Libutti played because they thought he disliked Black and female dealers. The casino was fined $200,000 for discrimination.
Trump Led the Racist “Birther” Movement and Made Racist Attacks Against President Obama
In 2011, Trump told Laura Ingraham that he was “proud” to be a so-called “birther” and reportedly hired a team of detectives to prove President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States.
On multiple occasions, Trump implied Barack Obama was a Muslim and that he was a threat to the country.
Trump Pursued The Central Park Five Publicly For Decades
For decades, Trump publicly slandered and antagonized five Black and Latino men, who, as children, were wrongfully convicted of assaulting a white female jogger in Central Park. In 1989, Trump took out a racist, full-page newspaper ad calling for the death penalty for the falsely-accused teens.
Trump Trafficked in Racist Fearmongering, Encouraged Violence Against Black Americans, and Has a Long History of Racist Comments
As president, Trump spoke out against fair-housing regulations as an ‘invasion’ in the American suburbs, and said this ‘invasion’ would happen if Biden and newly-selected running mate Kamala Harris were elected and that Sen. Cory Booker, a Black man, would be in charge of the program.
Throughout his time in public life Trump has encouraged violence against Black protesters. He has tweeted, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” called to rough up “thugs,” and pledged to pay the legal bills for those who engaged in violence at his rallies.
Trump has a long history of making racist comments. He reportedly said that “laziness is a trait in Blacks,” said Black youth lacked “spirit,” and among other things used the phrases “ghetto” and “inner city” as synonyms for all Black people and issues affecting Black communities.
Published: Feb 16, 2024 | Last Modified: Feb 21, 2024