In light of President Trump’s recent tweets and rallies, the liberal media has decided it is time to take the rhetoric up a notch. No longer is Trump any old racist, he has now earned himself the title of ‘white nationalist’. Filling in for host Lawrence O’Donnell, Joy Reid made sure to make this distinction on Friday night’s episode of The Last Word. She began:
I mean; you’ve been very open even during the campaign saying Donald Trump is a racist. Full stop. We know that from his history. From where he is going now is separate from racism. It's white nationalism and that is defined as having a country that is for white people.
Reid then speculated on if the President posed a physical threat, asking: “...Have you ever thought you would see the president become a physical threat to a member of Congress, let alone any American citizen?”
Democratic guest Daniella Gibbs Leger, the executive V.P. of Communications at the Center of American Progress, aided in this fearmongering: “Congresswoman Omar was walking down the street and I was legitimately worried and concerned about her safety, because it didn't appear that she had security around her.” Leger then proceeded to attack the Republican Party because: “They are ok with racism.”
Playing along the party lines, Reid asked her other Democratic guest, Tara Dowdell: “What does it say about the party that they would rather have this guy who’s specifically using ethno-nationalism in order to remain in power?”
Dowdell responded unopposed: “They wanted to do it through a whisper and where they could have plausible deniability if someone called them out. Trump saw that the base wanted it out front. He saw that. He rode that wave through birtherism and continued to ride that wave, but he did not insight or bring the party the party was already there.”
Having bashed the entire Republican Party to her satisfaction, Reid turned back to the Commander-in-Chief, stating: “Does he care if one of these woman gets hurt?”
Here is the transcript for the July 19 episode of The Last Word:
The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
07/19/22
10:10 p.m. Eastern
JOY REID: I mean; you’ve been very open even during the campaign saying Donald Trump is a racist. Full stop. We know that from his history. From where he is going now is separate from racism. It's white nationalism and that is defined as having a country that is for white people. Right? That kind of rhetoric, that's not something even the Republican party was prepared for. But did it surprise you that he’s now openly going in that direction?
TARA DOWDELL: It doesn’t surprise me at all because he has been escalating, he’s been testing the waters all along. He saw that he got away with saying Mexicans were rapists. He saw that he got away with attacking Congresswoman Maxine Waters being low IQ. His consistent attacks against women of color, women generally, in particular, women of color. We saw that with April Ryan. Remember that whole episode? We saw that with Abby Philipps and a number of a black female journalist. So, I think that he's tested the waters and seeing that his base is not only responding well, but responding extremely well and are parroting back those things he is saying. So, because he is escalating the behavior. He will continue to do it until he stopped. That, to me, is what it is indicative of. Until someone stops Donald Trump, until he's held accountable, he's seeing that he's not going to be held accountable by his own party. He's seeing that the base is going to reward it, and is rewarding it, and the Democratic party hasn’t done much to keep him accountable, so why would he stop.
REID: Danielle, have you ever thought you would see the president become a physical threat to a member of Congress, let alone any American citizen?
(....)
10:13 p.m. Eastern
DANIELLA GIBBS LEGER: He doesn't care that his words are potentially putting these women's lives in danger. Congresswoman Omar was walking down the street and I was legitimately worried and concerned about her safety, because it didn't appear that she had security around her. You know, I just want to echo something Tara said. The reason why Donald Trump is doing this. Because he can. Because he's getting away with it. Nobody is checking him. His party have decided they are okay with white nationalism. They are okay with racism. Because, it will allow them to get their tax cuts pass and allow them to stack the courts with right wing judges. They don't care about the safety of their fellow members of Congress. They don't care about the decorum of the presidency of the United States. They just care about protecting the wealthy few. I don't know if you can hear it in my voice, but it's really upsetting and irritating.
REID: Yeah, and I’m going to read a little of the St. Louis post dispatch, but two questions for you Tara; The St. Louis post dispatch editorial board called out Republicans who haven’t condemned Trump saying “Given the bright red line that Trump so enthusiastically crossed this week, the question of continuing to support him, whether assertively or through inappropriate silence, is no longer an indicator of loyalty and priorities, it has become a test of courage, character, and fundamental decency and all of these elected officials have failed at.” Two questions: On Republicans. They could have gotten tax cuts for the rich and walked up the rivers with pollution and let the polluters pollute. All those policies that they want, the same judges would have been Jeb Bush’s, Marco Rubio's judges. They could have gotten the same policies. What does it say about the party that they would rather have this guy who’s specifically using ethno nationalism in order to remain in power?
DOWDELL: I said this yesterday. I was asked by colleagues on Hardball and asked if Donald Trump was going to stand behind what he disavowed. And I said he would not stand behind his disavowal. He would back track. That's what he is going to do. Donald Trump saw and I will say it again. He saw the writing on the wall with the Republican party. He saw that reaction that the Republican Party had to president Obama's presidency. People literally lost their minds over this black man becoming president.
REED: So did he.
DOWDELL: He did, too. I wanted to point something out. When President Obama was first elected. Donald Trump praised him. At the very beginning. When he saw how the party responded to President Obama, people calling him all kinds of names who were party officials, across the country, and not just any old people, these were party officials calling Michelle Obama a monkey an ape in heels, all of that stuff, he saw that and knew the Republican Party wanted to do their racism through dog whistles. They wanted to do it through a whisper and where they could have plausible deniability if someone called them out. Trump saw that the base wanted it out front. He saw that. He rode that wave through birtherism and continued to ride that wave, but he did not insight or bring the party the party was already there.
REID: Very quick before I go back to Danielle? Does he care if one of these woman gets hurt?
DOWDELL: I don't think he cares. The only thing Donald Trump cares about is himself. He talked about having people riot if he didn't win the election.
