President Donald Trump once again crescendoed his racism from a dog whistle to a foghorn on Twitter to his 84 million followers.
Trump told those living their "Suburban Lifestyle Dream" that they would no longer be "bothered" by the presence of low-income housing in their neighborhoods.
The tweet was to announce Trump's revocation of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule—an Obama-era policy designed to make suburban neighborhoods more accessible to low-income Americans, many of them people of color. The aim of the rule was to prevent housing discrimination.
Trump railed against the rule in his tweet.
...Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2020
The tweets came in the same month that Trump tweeted to "suburban housewives," urging them to read an article that threatened Democratic nominee Joe Biden would spoil the suburbs by allowing the rule to continue. The article insisted that the position wasn't racist, because the position against the rule was based on income, not race. The writer did not acknowledge that one's race often affects one's income.
People heard the not-so-subliminal message Trump was sending loud and clear.
Some elaborated on the consequences Trump striking down the rule would have.
Trump himself has a record of housing discrimination.
Republican President Richard Nixon's Justice Department sued Donald Trump and his father Fred in 1973 for Fair Housing Act violations, which the Trump Organization eventually settled. This instance was part of a pattern of racial discrimination among Trump properties.
