Trump Racism in Historical Context

Rich Wandschneider
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President Trump’s recent outbursts about Somali-Americans and their homeland being “garbage” have been the most xenophobic rants since those a year ago about Haitians eating pets in Illinois. There have been milder explosions about Venezuelans and South Africans and immigrants from anywhere who are not white. The fear that Europe is being overwhelmed by migrants (read Africans and Middle-Easterners) is highlighted in Trump’s new strategic plan — in which we will tilt towards South America in a new Monroe (dubbed the Donroe) Doctrine.

Which takes us back to a long story of White Anglo Saxon and Northern European Protestant dominance in the country.

Immigrant Colonial America was governed by Anglo-Americans from its Revolutionary beginnings. A subtext in the new Ken Burns series on the Revolutionary War is the mistreatment of the Native Americans who were indigenous to the continent and the Africans who were brought here against their will. The most disappointing scene in the ten hours of the documentary was the “victory,” after which Blacks who had been allies of the patriots went back to people who had owned them (including General Washington) and Indians who had been allies went back to lands that would soon be wrestled from them by treaty and settlement and war.

After the Revolution the country pulsated between welcoming immigrants to fuel its economy, settle its Indian lands, and build its railroads. And restricting and evicting them from homes they’d fashioned with their work. There were 19th century Asian exclusion laws taking aim at immigration, and 20th century quota systems which favored Western and Northern European immigrants.

https://www.postalley.org/2026/01/29/trump-racism-in-context/