Starting around 2011 or so, Donald Trump began to get a lot of attention on the looney racist right in the US by becoming one of the leading advocates of birtherism, the claim that Barack Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii. Of course, Obamam's father was born in Kenya.
Now, curiously, Trump is at it again, although now involving his own family. He has taken to claiming that his father was born in Germany. His father's father was born there apparently, with the name "Drumpf." But by all accounts I know of, Trump's own father was born in The Bronx in New York City. It seems he is playing a reverse form of birtherism here, although it may be an effort to assert a stronger connection to the erstwhile "Master Race" of the Nazi movement.
Of course, it may also be that this is simply part of a more general mental breakdown, given the rather large number of either blazingly false or just blazingly stupid things he has been coming out with in the last several weeks.
Barkley Rosser
I suspect it's part of a good immigrant/bad immigrant white-supremacy dog whistle.
ReplyDeleteWe have a game at home entitled 'Trump Cards'. Participants have to guess whether Trump really did say the wackiest things quoted on the cards.
ReplyDeleteA few examples of his genuine quotes:
"I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man - he made a good decision." (about the Huffington Post editor)
"I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!"
"I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election...if I win."
"She (his daughter Ivanka, at 17) made me a promise, swear to her that I would never date a girl younger than her. So as she grows older the field is getting very limited."
"I will give you everything. ...I'm the only one." (Campaign rally 2016)
"Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. (1991)
..
Brenda R