On one hand, it is encouraging that powerful Republicans, such as U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and House Speaker Paul Ryan, have denounced GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s latest racist comments. On the other hand, it is troubling that such condemnations treat the comments as an aberration — as if Trump will soon get back to being more civilized.
He won’t. Trump is bigoted, racist, xenophobic, sexist and, worst of all, an ill-informed know-it-all. This is who he is, and he’s made it clear he has no intention of changing or toning down his rhetoric.
The latest episode involves class-action lawsuits against Trump University, Trump’s defunct real estate training program. Numerous students filed lawsuits saying they were defrauded by a program that was more infomercial than university. “The primary lesson Trump University teaches its students is how to spend more money by buying more Trump Seminars,” the plaintiffs said in a complaint filed in California in 2010.
Trump and his legal team sought to have the cases dismissed, seeking what is known as summary judgement. The judge presiding over two of the cases partially denied summary judgement in one of them — another is pending, since Trump’s team only filed for summary judgement in April. A study, which reviewed summary judgement decisions in six federal jurisdictions from 1975 to 2000, found that summary judgement was granted only 10 percent of the time.
Instead of explaining why this decision was wrong, Trump attacked the presiding judge, Gonzalo Curiel. Trump accused Curiel of being “a hater of Donald Trump — a hater.” Also during a speech at a rally last week in San Diego, Trump said the judge “happens to be, we believe, Mexican.” Later, Trump explained Curiel had a conflict of interest in the case because of his Mexican heritage — he was born in Indiana — and Trump wants to build a wall to separate the United States from Mexico.
On Sunday, Trump doubled down on his racist logic and said a Muslim judge also could have a conflict in hearing the case because Trump wants to ban Muslims from the U.S.
His comments rightly drew quick rebukes from numerous Republicans, including Collins. “Donald Trump’s comments on the ethnic heritage and religion of judges are absolutely unacceptable,” the senator said in a statement Monday. “His statement that Judge Curiel could not rule fairly because of his Mexican heritage does not represent our American values.”
“Mr. Trump’s comments demonstrate both a lack of respect for the judicial system and the principle of separation of powers,” she added.
But she hasn’t given up on the idea of backing Trump.
“I would love to be able to endorse Donald Trump, but he really has to change the approach that he’s taken,” Collins said Wednesday morning on CNN. “If I were giving him advice, I would tell him he should own up to making mistakes. He should apologize to the judge and to the American people. And he should stop insulting people.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had expressed reservations about Trump, endorsed him last week. On Tuesday, he was critical of Trump’s comments.
“Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment,” Ryan said. “I think that should be absolutely disavowed. It’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Later, however, Ryan told Fox News he didn’t believe Trump was a racist. Textbook definition of a racist: someone who makes racist comments.
Here’s the problem for moderate Republicans: Trump isn’t going to magically become more pleasant and tolerant or less racist.
In a Monday conference call with high-level supporters, Trump overrode a directive from his own staff telling these surrogates, including former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, not to talk about the Curiel matter. “Take that order and throw it the hell out,” Trump said, according to Bloomberg.
He then directed his surrogates to go after reporters who wrote about the Trump University lawsuits and Trump’s Curiel comments. “The people asking the questions — those are the racists,” Trump said. “I would go at ’em.”
By Tuesday, Trump was trying to walk back his comments, saying he only meant he couldn’t get a fair hearing from Curiel because Trump is the Republican presidential nominee and his campaign focuses on “illegal immigration, jobs and unfair trade.”
There was no apology, no acknowledgement that his previous comments were wrong. That’s because Trump’s offensive comments are not uttered by mistake; they reflect who he is and what he thinks.
Repeatedly condemning Trump’s comments, without condemning Trump, is meaningless.
