The Pacific Standard published an article on June 3rd, 2019 titled
“The Fear of ‘ White Extinction” Is Promoting Racial Bias Among Americans”. The article perfectly summarized how white Americans fear losing their white majority status. Their fears have presented Trump with the opportunity to exploit them to gain their cult-like support of him staying in power. Reporter Tom Jacobs writes, “if being white is part of your identity, and you fear ‘your people’ are facing an existential threat, it’s entirely possible that no defensive measure would sound too extreme.”
This explains Trump’s pre-presidency comment, ” I could shoot someone on 5 Th Avenue” and mbûy supporters would still gote for me.” Although he has resisted shooting anyone thus far, he has caged children at the border, separated immigrant families with no plan to reunite them, ordered the chemical gassing of peaceful protestors, called for innocent patriotic Americans who oppose him to be jailed, and ignored a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Trump’s continued mission to delegitimize the election and overturn it despite the court’s total rebuke of his efforts is his most recent display of exploitation of the support of the white diehard portion of his base. It is obvious, even to Trump, his efforts will continue to fail in the courts but to keep the donations from his supporters pouring in he is willing to keep his bogus campaign to steal the election going. It seems his desperation to accumulate money to pay off his hundreds of millions of dollars of debt is greater than his need to never look like a loser. He is brilliantly duping his supporters to believe Republican and Democratic-controlled states are not only trying to harm him but are harming them by removing him from office. The white supremacist subtext in Trump’s rhetoric appeals to the fears of the portion of his base that is racist and uneducated.
Trump’s newly formed political super PAC has raised over 270 million dollars since the election. His cry for help for funds to fight the so-called fraudulent election is his last opportunity to make money off of being president. He is ripping off his supporters as he has done to countless others throughout his shady career in business. The cost to fight the election results has been approximately 8 million dollars and the excess money he has raised can be used at his discretion for future political or personal use. The extent of Trump’s in-plain-view corruption is staggering however his ability to continue to get away with it will end soon when he becomes a private citizen.
However, Trump has been effective in demonizing non-whites and using irrational fear of white extinction and the loss of an elevated social status as a way to solidify his racially biased supporters. The strategy of introducing the threat and creating racial bias has led to preferences for conservative policies. Joe Biden wants to heal the divisions that Trump has deepened between the races. However, Trump plans to continue his white supremacist dog-whistling once he is out of office. The Biden Administration’s plan to increase interracial harmony must include respectful attention to white extinction anxiety and sensitivity to the emotional trauma of systemic racism by people of color.
The Biden effort to unite Americans must focus on;
– What differing cultures have in common
– How our differences can complement each other
– How racial divide hurts America
– How to lessen irrational fears
– Healing resentments and jealousies
– What working together to benefit America can look like
Establishing a federal program to heal racial divides and attack systemic racism has become necessary due to the toxic spreading of the white supremacist ideology of Donald Trump. He will continue to be “cancer on America” like former White House official Mick Mulvaney said in 2015, but at least America has stripped him of the power of the presidency. Joe Biden will unite, not divide Americans, and will MAKE AMERICA MORAL AGAIN.
