Last week, while discussing immigration policies at a white house conference, Donald Trump was reported to have made slurs against Haiti and African countries, referring to them as, “Sh*thole countries”, and claiming that instead, America needs more Norwegian immigrants. This has caused major backlash by both the public and the nations he has insulted.
Because of Trump’s comments, some have begun questioning his fitness to serve as president because of his blatant racial bias. It is claimed that if he is not supportive of all Americans, of all races and religions, he is no use to the American public since the president is representative of the nation as a whole. His insults concerning predominantly non-white countries bring to mind a similar incident during the Charlottesville attacks, where Trump refused to condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis, and instead protected statues of Confederate figures. By insisting the United States needs more Norwegian immigrants, who are predominantly white, Trump proves that he is, in fact, racist to an extent of no other president.
One other major issues with Trump’s claim is his failure to recognize that Africa is not on its own a country, but a continent, where many allies of the United States are located. Coupled with Trump’s insults on these countries, relations with allies is sure to worsen. Trump’s continual isolation of the U.S. from its allies poses a potential threat when considering the “war of words” with North Korea, causing increased tension between the feuding countries, especially considering the fact that there was never an official peace treaty, and the Korean War is still technically going on. If one country were to attack, and war was to begin again, it is likely that many counties would not be quick to defend the United States, given the hateful rhetoric towards its allies. What will happen from here is unknown, yet if Trump does not work to join Americans together, the country will likely deteriorate into an even more polarized, segregated country.