The Republican National Committee and those who work with President Donald Trump have made a big deal over presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s misstep during a controversial interview with “The Breakfast Club.”
Biden famously told the show’s African American host “you ain’t Black” if you vote for Trump.
The comment drew outrage and the GOP seized upon it, unleashing so-called free-thinking African-American supporters of Trump who called Biden a racist. However, many responded with the old adage of “those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
Several District residents told The Washington Informer that the president’s policies have hurt most Americans — particularly Black people.
“As business coaches, we knew the election of Trump was going to affect our business economically but had no idea it would affect it in a moral way,” Hank Yuloff, of Yuloff Creative Marketing Solutions, said in an email. “It had been our easily followed policy to keep our business and politics separate. But at some point, you have to stand up against what you see as the dismantling of the value system, the environment and the economic forces which do not favor the small business entrepreneur trying to make a living and follow their dreams.”
“We no longer accept some business owners into our coaching program. We have found it difficult in some cases to give our best advice to business owners who have targeted their business to support the president. We will vote as if our lives depend on it,” Yuloff said.
The president’s “incessant assaults on the rule of law makes me worry about the health of our democracy,” said Mike Arnan, a city employee. “Trump’s disdain for anyone who knows more than he does about anything — which is pretty much anyone — makes me wonder if anyone will listen to experts ever again. His crude attacks on his political opponents make me concerned about the viability of free and fair elections.”
Stan Kimer, the president of Total Engagement Consulting by KimerHome, said his work as a diversity consultant had been his greatest passion — until Trump took office.
“I have had the largest impact by President Trump’s continued rolling back and cutting of diversity and non-discrimination policies and practices,” Kimer said. “This has now emboldened opponents of diversity to speak out and trash all diversity work in direct confrontational ways. Now, when I write blogs on the importance of addressing issues like Islamophobia, racism and homophobia, I receive dozens of extremely nasty comments and personal attacks.
“This rarely happened before Trump took office and started routinely attacking and dismantling diversity and nondiscrimination programs. The increased hate and division I am now experiencing is having a profound negative and sad impact on my life as well as on our country as a whole, he said.
Margaret Huang, president, and chief executive officer of the Southern Poverty Law Center said the organization joins its allies in condemning the recent police killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed and Breonna Taylor.
Huang said its imperative that local police departments and district attorneys investigate, arrest and prosecute officers and all who violate the rights of the people who live in the communities they are charged to serve.
“Equally important, law enforcement must stop responding to peaceful protest of police killings with more violence. Police are obligated to protect those in the community, and punishing peaceful protest is a gross abuse of human rights,” she said.
Huang then turned her ire toward the president.
“We stand with millions of people across the country who are rightfully outraged by the killing of unarmed Black people, the lack of responsiveness, the lack of action and President Trump calling for violence against those demanding justice for Mr. Floyd’s death,” Huang said.
