How Trump’s 'rebooted birtherism' fits into a broad 'neofascist' agenda: analysis

02 August 2024

Former President Donald Trump set off yet another controversy when he questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' interracial background during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists' (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday, July 31.

Trump told attendees, "Is she Indian or is she Black?.... She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now, she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black? I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't."

Trump's comments have been widely condemned as both racist and misleading, as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee has had a lot to say about her heritage over the years — noting many times that her parents were immigrants: a Jamaican father and a mother from India.

In an article published on August 2, Salon's Chauncey DeVega argues that Trump's remarks go beyond racism and are part of a broader authoritarian agenda.

"She is the first Black vice president, as well as the first Indian-American and first woman vice president," DeVega writes. "In short, Trump's claim is not just a lie. It is a racist, white supremacist lie pulled from the same bucket as his 'birther' attacks on Barack Obama."

DeVega goes on to warn, however, that Trump's comments go beyond racism — they fit into an all-out "neofascist" agenda.

"The mainstream media and much of the Democratic Party are now obsessed with Trump's rebooted birtherism — the controversy of the day, feeding the insatiable maw of the news cycle — rather than focusing on his plans to be an American Hitler who rules with an iron fist," DeVega explains. "His birther attacks on Kamala Harris are an outgrowth of the MAGA movement's neofascist plans and its hatred of multiracial democracy. They should be discussed in that context….. If (Trump) wins the 2024 election and tries to establish America's first true dictatorship, his regime will seek to curtail the Bill of Rights and its protections for freedom of speech and other civil rights and liberties."

The Salon journalist continues, "Trump and his forces are entirely clear in their plans — 'hostile members' of the press will see their behavior 'backfire massively,' leading to 'their undoing.' This is a threat to everyone with a public platform who fails to submit to the coming MAGA regime."

Chauncey DeVega's full article for Salon is available at this link.

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