Jared Kushner's Racist Nonsense Perfectly Captures the Essence of Trumpism

Yesterday on Fox and Friends Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law and senior adviser, was discussing all the wonderful things the administration has done for black people [best President since Lincoln, Trump would say], but seemed to question whether Blacks "want to be successful.”

Kushner: “One thing we’ve seen in a lot of the Black community, which is mostly Democrat, is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”

It's one of America's oldest and most offensive racial stereotypes. As soon as I heard it, I thought of my grandmother back in the 1970s talking about how "brown people," from warm climates just don't believe in hard work. Most young people today dismiss it as moronic boomer bigotry, but you can still hear such nonsense in wealthier white neighborhoods. It's how many whites explain persistent income equality in America, especially among minorities. They dismiss systemic racism and argue that blacks and Hispanics could be just as successful as whites if they were willing to work as hard.

Kushner probably doesn't think that he said anything wrong. In the trust fund world he grew up in it's probably common to hear such "casual racism."

Rep. Don Beyer, VA: "Born on third base, thinks he hit a triple. Few in US history have been given as much wealth or power without having to earn a thing as Jared Kushner. His father-in-law gave him the position he is failing at miserably, with deadly consequences. We will remember his casual racism."

During this election season, Kushner's comment is probably the most accurate insight we will get into this administration's thinking about minorities and racism. Donald Trump and his minions want you to believe that America is a level playing field and that their success is based solely on their smarts and diligence, despite all the advantages they enjoyed. They have no interest in crafting policies to help disadvantaged Americans, because in their world those people are the undeserving poor, too lazy to pull themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps.

#news #opinion

By: Don Lam & Curated Content