Trump says he's 'done more for minority groups than any president in decades'. Here's why he's wrong
President Donald Trump is known for a lot of things, but 'representing minority groups' most certainly isn't one of them.
However, in his latest escapade on Twitter, the president has tweeted the exact opposite. Taking to the platform, he wrote:
“President Trump has done more for minority groups in this country than any president in decades.” @LouDobbs
To be honest, we don't even know where to begin with this claim. Polls since the Trump administration took power show that more than 50 per cent of Americans think that their president is racist.
Further, many studies have revealed that Trump's xenophobic view of America is inciting racial violence, with one study revealing that attacks against Muslim, South Asian, Hindu, Arab and Middle Eastern countries increased a massive 45 per cent in 2017.
That's not to mention his impact on the LGBT+ community, which he vowed to 'protect' in his election campaign.
Here are just a few reasons why Trump isn't good for minorities, he's the opposite.
Trump bans transgender people from the military.
In March 2017, president Trump announced via Twitter that he was banning all transgender people from serving in the military. In a string of tweets, he stated that the military couldn't be 'burdened' with the tremendous 'military costs' and 'disruption' that transgender people would entail.
Rescinds Obama-era legislation saying trans people are protected under civil rights law.
Alongside his attempted ban on transgender people serving in the army, Trump has also introduced a slew of anti-LGBT+ legislation. In 2017, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era memo that said trans workers are protected under civil rights law. This has enabled the federal government, including its army of attorneys, to now argue in court that anti-trans discrimination isn’t illegal under federal law, reports Vox.
The administration also rescinded another Obama-era guidance stating that trans students are protected under federal civil rights law, resulting in the fact schools should respect trans students' rights, including to use bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their gender identity.
Bans on Muslims from entering the country.
On January 27 2017, president Trump's administration passed an executive order that has become known as the 'Muslim Ban'. The executive order instituted a ban on immigrants, refugees and visa holders from five Muslim majority countries from entering the United States of America, affecting 135 million people.
The Muslim majority countries that he placed a ban on were: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also included two non-Muslim majority countries, North Korea and Venezuela. The ban was finally lifted in January 2018, however those attempting to enter the country would face further security restrictions.
Immigrant children separated from their parents at border.
The Trump administration announced that it would introduce a 'zero-tolerance' policy towards adults who illegally cross the border. Because of a 1997 court settlement, children who cross the border fall under the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. If the child's parents are detained and arrested, they would be separated from their children. Announcing the legislation, Jeff Sessions said:
If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law
If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border.
The policy is just another example of legislation that can be seen to stir up xenophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiments.
Refers to African nations as 's******* countries'.
In January 2018, it was alleged that in private, Donald Trump had expressed his frustrations over immigrants entering the US. CNN reported that a source briefed on the Oval Office meeting with lawmakers confirmed Trump asked:
Why do we want all these people from 's******* countries' coming here?
This isn't the first time the president has used disparaging language to refer to other races. He has also been quoted as referring to Mexicans as 'rapists' and 'drug dealers'.
Anti Sharia Law legislation introduced in 23 states.
In 2017,2 bills were introduced in 18 state legislatures to ban the practice of Islamic law, or sharia law in US courts, reports The Guardian. Many critics of the legislation said that it was superfluous, as the US constitution is the supreme law of the land and any foreign laws are subservient to it, and that its only aim is to whip up racial hatred against Muslims.
Many others were quick to respond on Twitter.
More: Almost half of Americans think that Trump is racist, new poll reveals