‘Long past time’: Trump-backing billionaires named-and-shamed for enabling 'racist agenda'
By Adam Nichols,
7 hours ago
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks as Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump looks on during a rally at the site of the July assassination attempt against Trump, in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The red meat that gets Donald Trump’s grassroots supporters riled up is based on hatred and is plain to see, claimed an MSNBC columnist.
And writer Dean Obeidallah named-and-shamed the GOP candidate’s super-rich supporters he says have been willing to turn a blind eye to outright racism in order to secure tax cuts and other financial incentives.
Obeidallah stated that polls show that the top election issue is the economy, but you wouldn’t believe that if you went to a Trump rally.
“At Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, last week, there was just about no applause when he stated, 'We will end inflation and make America affordable again. We’re going to get the prices down,’” he wrote.
“When did his audience explode with energy? When Trump gave them lines targeting immigrants , like 'On day one of my new administration, the invasion ends and the deportations begin. We get them out.'
“... Trump knows that his rallygoers get most excited when he gives voice to white supremacy.”
Obeidallah stated that this pandering to racism is plain to see — and ye t big money donors seem perfectly willing to turn a blind eye.
The writer then called them out by name.
“Everyone understands what Trump is about. But for too long there has been a tendency to excuse Trump’s wealthy supporters — like Elon Musk, who appeared at Trump’s rally on Saturday — as being on the Trump train only for the tax cuts or other financial gain — as Trump has explicitly promised them at big-ticket fundraisers,”he wrote.
“However, these wealthy and often well-educated people see the same headlines we do. They should understand that the most visible part of Trump’s campaign is racism, and it’s long past time they are called out for enabling Trump’s racist agenda.”
Alongside Musk, the writer named hedge fund manager Bill Ackman , who demanded Trump’s resignation after Jan. 6 but went on to endorse him.
New York Jets owner Robert “Woody” Johnson is also featured, as well as entrepreneurs the Winklevoss twins, who gave more than $1 million to Trump’s campaign.
“Every one of these billionaires is telling us that in exchange for the policy goals they want, they are on board with or at least comfortable with Trump’s bigotry,” Obeidallah wrote.
“If racism were a deal-breaker for them, would they still be funding his 2024 campaign?
“... If a candidate campaigning on white supremacy is elected to the presidency again, they won’t be able to evade accountability with the claim that that’s not why they supported him.”
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