Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt
His tweet calling Omarosa Manigault Newman a “dog” is only the latest example of one of Donald Trump’s favorite topics—his low opinion of people of color, especially Black women.
In fact, dehumanizing language was the first thing we heard from candidate Donald Trump, who rode down that golden escalator with hate speech about Mexican rapists in his pocket.
Since then, Trump has referred to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) as “low IQ” seven times this year, often before cheering crowds who also roar their support for his attacks on African American athletes and journalists. And Trump loves to tweet about “illegal immigrants” that “infest” our country.
We all know what Donald Trump left unsaid when he called his former top-ranking African American advisor a “crazed, crying lowlife” and “that dog.”
We’re likely to hear even worse language from Donald Trump before long. This is not news.
What’s important is this: what do we do about limiting the damage Trump can do while he remains in office? How can we protect and defend women, and expand women’s rights?
The answer is three months away. Our focus must be on Election Day.
NOW is calling on voters to stand up to Donald Trump’s hate speech and dehumanizing language in the next election. Your vote is your voice–use it!
Contact
Brittany T. Oliver, comms@now.org, 202-628-8669
Trump is not on the ballot and I’m not going to devalue my vote by making perfunctory electoral decisions based upon what he tweets about from one moment to the next. Every voter should carefully evaluate every candidate and determine which best represents her own values, principles and vision for the future. I’m quite aghast that NOW encourages its members to reduce their votes to nothing more than some trivial, sophomoric ritual like egging the principle’s house on Homecoming night.