7 Scary Things Black Folks Should Never Forget About Trump's Presidency
As the New York trial for former President Donald Trump winds down, it’s clear that he will attempt to reclaim the White House regardless of the outcome. If Trump is found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, he will most likely receive probation and fines instead of actual prison time as a first-time offender in a non-violent case.
In addition, even if he’s convicted he can still run for President. His previous term was riddled with incompetence and bigotry—which significantly impacted the lives of Black folks. Here are 7 scary things that we should never forget about Trump.
1. He flubbed Covid-19 in a major way, which disproportionately affected Black people.
According to a report by the House select subcommittee, the Trump administration engaged in “deliberate efforts” to erode the U.S. response to coronavirus for political reasons. Under Trump’s leadership, the White House consistently overruled public health and testing guidance by America’s top disease experts.
Documents the committee obtained also revealed that Trump political appointees tried to pressure the FDA to authorize ineffective Covid treatments that Trump pushed, like hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma. He also failed to put safety precautions in place for workers, leading to Black people in almost every state with racial data available having higher contraction rates and higher death rates of COVID-19.
2. Trump propped up white supremacy with MAGA, known as “Make America Great Again.”
MAGA, or “Make America Great Again” became not just Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, but a political movement that targeted people of color. The former president believed that the country was once great but that immigration and diversity has ruined this status. It quickly became a racist rallying cry, with MAGA believers often taking hateful, sexist and homophobic stances. This was underscored with the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville that went down during Trump’s presidency in 2017. The event was organized specifically by white supremacists and neo-Nazis to amplify white nationalism.
3. Hate crimes increased exponentially under his presidency.
According to data released by the FBI released back in 2020, hate crime reports in America soared in 2019 to the highest level since 2008. The annual report on national hate crime statistics showed that murders classified as hate crimes more than doubled from 2018 to 2019—51 people were killed in instances fueled by hate. Sadly, the data also showed that Black people overwhelmingly comprised the largest category of reported hate crime offenses, with a total of 48.4% of those crimes motivated by anti-Black bias.
4. Trump’s immigration policies led to tougher laws as well as the deaths of 21 migrants.
During Trump’s term, he made it more difficult for foreign-born workers—mostly comprised of Black and brown folks—to enter the U.S. on visas or as refugees. This led to visa denials significantly increasing and refugee admissions decreasing. According to a NBC News analysis of federal data, twenty-four immigrants died in ICE custody, with at least four more dying shortly after being released from ICE custody. This number does not include migrants— including five children—who died in the custody of other federal agencies. Over the years, ICE employees have voiced concerns about lapses in medical oversight and neglect that put immigrants at risk of harm or death, according to the federal data.
5. The former President called the national guard on Black Lives Matter protesters.
Trump placed Black people directly in harm’s way back in 2020 when he sent thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to mobilize against those protesting the murder of George Floyd. In addition, the Trump administration deployed dozens of unidentified federal law enforcement officers—most from the Department of Homeland Security—to Portland, Oregon. The result for both were complete chaos and injuries to nonviolent protesters. According to Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Trump had asked about shooting protesters during the civil unrest of 2020.
6. He was instrumental in inciting violence on January 6.
On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump incited a mob of followers to attack the U.S. Capitol as a final attempt to remain in power after a tumultuous meeting with his strongest supporters. Instead of gracefully losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump aligned himself with outside advisers who encouraged him to keep pressing his election fraud lies. He subsequently encouraged his followers to flock to Washington for a “big protest,” saying, “Be there, will be wild.” Around 800 people participated in the riot and The Justice Departmentsaid in an official update in January 2024 that 116 of the people who were charged in connection to the riot “have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.”
7. Trump lined the Supreme Court with justices that would overturn affirmative action and Roe V. Wade.
Before winning the presidency in 2016, Trump used racist rhetoric to gain white supremacist followers. He continued this strategy all the way to the White House, where he strategically placed conservative judges on the Supreme Court who would ultimately overturn Roe V. Wade as well as affirmative action, affecting Black and brown people the most. His crusade for a second term this year is no different, as Trump has said America is anti-white, that migrants are “poisoning” the blood of the country, he was indicted for the “Black population” and that he will undo all of Biden’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
