Speaking at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, President Joe Biden unequivocally condemned white supremacy and issued a sharp rebuke against those trying to rewrite history,he criticized former President Donald Trump for “glorifying” instead of condemning political violence. Biden’s emotional address, underscored by the memory of the 2015 racist church shooting, served as a powerful reminder of America’s struggle with racism.
“It’s a poison,” Biden asserted regarding white supremacy. “Throughout our history, it’s ripped this nation apart. This has no place in America. Not today, tomorrow, or ever.” His speech at Mother Emanuel,criticized former President Donald Trump for “glorifying” instead of condemning political violence.
Claiming no doubt falsely, that he was “reading something” about the Civil War, Trump said,”See, there was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you. I think you could have negotiated that.” He went on to suggest Abraham Lincoln allowed the war to happen so that he would be famous. “Abraham Lincoln, of course, if he negotiated it, you probably wouldn’t even know who Abraham Lincoln was.”The media dutifully contacted historians, who debunked this falsehood, highlighting the numerous attempts.
Trump’s comments follow an incident where former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina didn’t say the word “slavery” when she was asked at a New Hampshire campaign event about the cause of the Civil War. Her answer was much uglier than reported, echoing the deeply racist arguments of slaveholders: “Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life. They don’t need to tell you what you can and can’t do. They don’t need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom.”
Heather “Digby” Parton pointed out at Salon that this argument assumes “freedom” means the right to own other people. The press falsely portrayed Haley’s later comments, when she said it was “a given that everybody associates the civil war with slavery,” as a “backtrack.” But it really wasn’t. She didn’t recant her insinuation that banning slavery was an affront to white people’s “freedom.”
This is occurring in conjunction with a rise in aggressive defenses of white supremacists on the political right. For example, the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, originating from neo-Nazi rhetoric, is being increasingly embraced by prominent GOP figures. Donald Trump Jr. referred to it as the “great replacement reality,” while podcast host Charlie Kirk recently expressed concerns about demographic replacement and efforts to reduce the country’s white population. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld argued that military efforts to eliminate white supremacists “undermine the effectiveness, lethality, and preparedness of our military.” (Needless to say, the opposite is true: Working with neo-Nazis is detrimental to the morale of most soldiers, not just non-white soldiers.)
Biden and his team argue that it’s all connected: Trump’s failure to denounce the white nationalists’ actions at the rally. Trump has also echoed language previously used by Adolf Hitler, claiming that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country,” while denying knowledge of Hitler’s similar words.Trump still insists he won the 2020 election and maintains that the Capitol rioters were patriotic, while referring to those in prison as “hostages.”
Frankly, this is a more rational explanation than that Trump has some Svengali-style hold on his followers. They worship Trump for the same reason they worship Robert E. Lee: Not because of any intrinsically appealing qualities to either man, but because both are avatars for white supremacy. It’s why Trump supporters were willing to risk arrest in order to overturn an election, but have mostly ignored his unsubtle pleas to riot to prevent criminal indictments. They are in this to maintain a racialized hierarchy in the U.S., and not because they just really like a man who smells like a butt.
This indicates another motive for Trump and his allies amplifying racist rhetoric: to incite their followers to a more aggressive state of mind. Trump is beginning to propagate conspiracy theories, alleging that the election will be stolen from him. The ultimate goal, naturally, is to incite another event like January 6, should he lose, and to hope that this time it succeeds. However, simply spreading falsehoods and counting on the allegiance of his supporters won’t suffice. He must emphasize what they stand to gain from it. And what they stand to gain is Trump’s commitment to white supremacy.
Relevant articles:
– Both Biden and Trump speeches make the stakes clear: 2024 is a battle over white supremacy There is a reason why Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis pander to racists with false histories of the Civil War
– WATCH: Biden condemns ‘poison’ of white supremacy in campaign speech at South Carolina church
– Biden assails Trump for trying to turn election ‘loss into a lie’
– Trump team argues killing rivals is covered by immunity: Live