President Trump’s “go back” tweets, directed at four congresswomen of color, elicited strong condemnation of both the president – and of GOP lawmakers who failed to denounce Trump’s racist tweets. Although overt expressions of racism from a president have long been considered politically unthinkable, many analysts view Trump’s latest provocations […] Read more »
In Politics, Apologies Are for Losers
Suppose that a public figure has said or done something that many people consider offensive, outrageous or despicable — for example, lied about his military service or insulted people’s religious convictions. Should he apologize? Let’s assume that his goal is not to be a good person, but only to improve […] Read more »
Trump campaign sees political advantage in a divisive appeal to working-class white voters
President Trump launched another broadside Saturday on a Democratic political opponent, calling a prominent black congressman’s Baltimore district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” … The outburst also undercut efforts by many Republicans over the past two weeks to defend Trump and insist that his earlier attacks were based […] Read more »
How social media increases the reach of Trump’s racially coded attacks to activate racial prejudice
… Despite the popular conversation about whether President’s Trump’s comments are racist, in recent research, I along with co-author (Adam Enders), maintain that a statement or policy need not make explicit mention of race to be racist. In fact, it is the use of racially coded language, like “go back […] Read more »
Fox News Poll: Trump approval up, voter ratings on economy best in decades
More voters rate the economy positively today than have since 2001, according to the latest Fox News Poll. In addition, approval of the job President Trump is doing on the economy stands at 52 percent (41 percent disapprove). … He receives net negative marks on border security (44 approve – […] Read more »
Schools, corporations and local governments are listening to Trump’s ‘go back’ language. Silence is a dangerous retort
There is a widespread consensus among the leaders of major American institutions that anyone in their workplaces who told someone else to go back where they came from would face serious consequences. But virtually none of those leaders — from schools and universities to big global companies to nonprofits and […] Read more »