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MSNBC Anchor Rachel Maddow Did A Segment This Week Reminding Americans Of The Deplorable Origin Of The “America First” Slogan. The Phrase Appeared In 1940-1941 And Was Focused On Keeping The United States Out Of The War In Europe As Hitler’s Reign Of Terror Was Spreading. “America First” Was Associated With Anti-Semitism, Support Of Hitler And Considered Un-American By The US Government.

The “America First” slogan has it’s dark roots in American fascism dating back to the early 1940’s. ( The Mirror, Jan. 30, 2017). The movement stood in opposition to the US entering World War II based on it’s tolerance of Hitler and Nazism. Aviator Charles Lindberg led the movement and became widely known as a white supremacist and anti-Semite. He was quoted as saying, “Hitler “accomplished results  which could hardly have been accomplished without some fanaticism.”  Groups like the Ku Klux Klan embraced the racist “America First”  slogan and history is clear on the slogan being based in white supremist hatred.

Opponents of Donald Trump have called him racist, not because of a baseless witchhunt campaign against him.  Rather it’s because his racist rhetoric and policies have emboldened white supremacists and inserted them back into American culture. The ideology of the “America First” fascist movement of the 40s during Hitler’s reign of terror in Europe makes the use of the slogan today shamefully un- American. Donald Trump is the hero of white supremacist hate groups in America and a rise in anti-Semitism and white supremacist hatred in general has increased since Trump’s presidency.  During one of the presidential debates, Trump told the Proud Boys, a white nationalist group to, ” stand back and stand by” which we know was received by the group as a call to violence to protect Trump’s pursuit of power. Other examples of toxic, racist messaging by Trump are:

  • The comment ” there were good people on both sides” at the Nazi really in Charlottesville in 2017.
  • Promises to pardon members of the white supremacist groups The Proud Boys and Oathkeepers for the crimes they committed during the Jan. 6th insurrection. Many of the Trump rioters wore clothing and images showing anti- Semitic messaging.
  • Posted a video on twitter with one of his supporters yelling ” white power”
  • Referencing the insurrectionist mob, (which was led and organized by white supremacist groups) as “patriots”
  • Praised the loyalty shown to Hitler by his generals
  • Told Chief of Staff General John Kelly, ” Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.”
Choosing a slogan from the 1940s representing American sympathizers of Nazi ideology indicates the MAGA movement’s tolerance of anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Additionally, selecting a logo that mirrors the Nazi party’s symbol is a dog-whistle to anti-Semites. It’s a glorification of the hatred embedded in the ideology. During the early 1940s, immigrants were demonized in similar ways to the current Trump/MAGA attacks being waged against people migrating to the US. In the 40s, “America First” meant whites were valued, and” others” were not. The Trump version of ” America First” is disturbingly similar to the 1940s version. It’s a pursuit to suppress the vote of minorities, the demonization of Hispanic migrants, the lack of support for social justice for black American men and women, and verbal slurs towards Asians oozes racial hatred. President Biden was brave and accurate to call Trump ” the most racist president in modern times.”

Everytime Trump says, ” America First, America First” every American who is loyal to democracy and the Constitution should be concerned. The message in the slogan is, ” white America First and only”. Every neo- Nazi in America is praying Trump will find a way to stop Jews and minorities from thriving or in the worst case scenario, surviving in America. Opposing party members do not routinely label each other racist. Trump has earned the racist label, with comments such as:

  • “Mexicans coming over the border are rapists”
  • “Predominantly black countries are ” shitholes”
  • Referring to COVID-19 as the ” kung flu”
  • Promoted law enforcement and military aggression against Black Lives Matter peaceful protesters
  • In 1991, said,”Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. … I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks.” (Vox, August 13, 2020).
  • Spread the “birtherism” conspiracy theory claiming President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States

In the mid-terms, individual freedoms are on the ballot. Decency vs indecency is on the ballot. Honesty vs dishonesty is on the ballot. Democracy vs autocracy is on the ballot. Racial equality vs racism is on the ballot. Competence vs incompetence is on the ballot. Love vs hate is on the ballot. Trump vs no more Trump is on the ballot. Here are facts that prove he is a con man, an embarrassment and a liar. This is the guy MAGA supporters dumped on America:

Republicans can find a better candidate than this. No president has ever been this morally, intellectually, and emotionally ineligible to be president. Making America Great Again requires ending Trump’s presence in politics now and forever. America fired him, he lost and he was not brave enough to accept it. That’s weak, not strong.

Published by rebeccasperber

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