Before officially announcing his 2020 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump began filling out his campaign staff. Matt Wolking—who from 2008-2011 ran a conspiracy theory laden blog that called Muslims "murderous thugs"—was hired by Trump's campaign to head an "aggressive rapid response team, refuting attacks and exposing the fake news media."
The President's recent Twitter activity dominated the news after several controversial posts by Trump on Sunday, so Wolking's team was deployed to provide a response. In keeping with their employer's tactics, Wolking posted that what people read from Trump's official Twitter account was not what they read.
With screengrabs of the President's tweets, Wolking posted:
"Anyone who says the president told members of Congress to go back to where they came from is lying."
His justification for telling four American citizens, three of whom were born in the United States to "go back" to the "countries" they came from? Trump told them to come back again once they fixed their own countries.
Wolking's doublespeak failed to exonerate the President however since it missed the issue entirely. These four Congresswomen of color are from the United States.
Their country is the United States. The notion that only White United States citizens are "real Americans" is a White nationalist talking point that ignores the fact White people are not Indigenous to any parts of the Americas.
It was this repetition of White supremacist and White nationalist rhetoric that people took exception to and Wolking failed to address. And people were quick to let Wolking know he missed the mark.
@tonyposnanski/Twitter
People noted there are plenty of outspoken White members of Congress, yet Trump never suggested they go back to the countries they came from.
Some pointed out other messages that are not really there except when they actually are.
Although some thought Trump hit the nail on the head without meaning to, something Hillary Clinton also pointed out.
Many called Wolking a liar.
But Wolking tried to pull out a win anyway.
With poor results.
The Republican party and the President's most fervent support base, Evangelical Christians, remained largely silent about the controversy until the backlash continued to dominate the news on Monday. Their eventual responses are being criticized as being tepid at best.
Meanwhile President Trump demanded an apology from the four United States citizens he told to go back where they came from.
The book Trump Lies And Evangelical Christians: Lost Moral and Ethics Authority-A Study of Sin, Sanctification, and Holiness-impeaching Trump and Evangelical Christians, available here, explores the unusual relationship between a thrice divorced businessman and the religious right.
