Question Republicans and white evangelicals — not Black people — about Trump’s racism
Being repulsed by his latest attack on the Obamas doesn’t absolve you from ignoring everything that led to it, and what he’s still doing.
By Carron J. Phillips
Black people told you. The Exonerated Five told you. Kamala Harris told you. And if our current president had been in office when Hurricane Katrina happened, the old version of Kanye West would have told you.
“George Bush Donald Trump doesn’t care about Black people.”
Recently, the most racist thing a sitting president has ever done — in public — was all anyone could talk about. Instead of asking Black people how they feel, the focus should be on engaging those who choose to support, vote for, and stand beside Donald Trump.
Republicans and white evangelical Christians: “Is this your king?”
Some lawmakers from that side of the aisle have begun to criticize Trump, a rarity in his second term, for posting a video on social media depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as primates. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the image “appalling.” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) denounced it as “totally unacceptable.” And Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) said the post was “blatantly racist and inexcusable. It should never have been posted or left published for so long.”
Too often, the oppressed are asked to address their oppression, instead of the oppressed hearing from those who have the privilege of being unscathed. We see this a lot when it comes to activism in sports, which is why it was so refreshing to see a bevy of white American athletes being asked about the state of America during the Winter Olympics.
“I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect,” said freestyle skier Chris Lillis. “I hope that when people look at athletes [who] compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America we’re trying to represent.”
Trump’s “political career” began with the birther movement, rooted in the racist ideology that Barack Obama — a Black man — was unfit to be president because of false claims of his citizenship. Unsurprisingly, the leader of the free world reposted a video on social media portraying the former president and first lady as apes. It was par for the course for those who accept Trump for what he is and appalling for the millions who still refuse to recognize that there is no low that he won’t stoop to.
“I’ve never seen someone sign up or give up some of their values for Donald Trump and they don’t get embarrassed in the end,” journalist and political analyst Astead Herndon recently explained on CNN.
Trump is the irritating and destructive byproduct of the systemic issues at hand; he is not the root cause. And the people who comply with and actively take part in his antics contribute to even further damage. Consider how White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the video: “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.”
As MS NOW anchor Symone Sanders-Townsend said, “Let’s be for real right now.”
“They think we haven’t seen The Lion King,” Sanders-Townsend rebutted, reminding viewers that “there are no apes in The Lion King. There’s not one ape. There’s a baboon, Rafiki. He is actually central to the story. There’s not one ape in the movie.”
You can’t un-post racism in the same way that you can’t un-vote for the bigot you repeatedly voted for. The damage has been done. And it continues to be done.
The country’s lone Black governor was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner, which Trump is scheduled to attend, as per tradition.
“My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership,” declared Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Days later, the National Governors Association canceled the formal meeting with Trump because the White House planned to invite only Republicans. Sadly, this is what peak bipartisanship looks like in 2026.
The politics for many in the Republican Party are at odds with the “Christian morals” they claim as their foundation. According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of white evangelicals approve of how Trump is handling things in his second term, and 58% support all or most of his plans and policies. They remain his strongest supporters.
“Mr. President, the last four years there were times I’m sure you thought it was pretty dark, but look what God has done,” evangelist Franklin Graham said to Trump at last January’s inauguration. “Father, when Donald Trump’s enemies thought he was down and out, you and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by your mighty hand,” he added.
I swear the Good Book says that we should “love our neighbors as ourselves.”
Apparently, not only do members of this party not read the Bible, but they’re also led by a man who looks uncomfortable holding one.
So, every time Trump does something racist, ask them what they think about it. Get Republicans and believers who support this administration on the record so that history will inform future generations who was complicit in the erosion of American politics and Christianity.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.
Oh, those good evangelical "christians" ARE true believers. As long as everyone else lives by the bible. They, themselves, are excluded from that requirement, of course.
"Too often, the oppressed are asked to address their oppression, instead of the oppressed hearing from those who have the privilege of being unscathed."
Look what it did for Colin Kaepernick.