Angus Robertson: Loud shrill racist dogwhistle from Donald Trump

The United States was founded as a nation of immigrants. The New York Statue of Liberty was the first sight of the New World for immigrants from far and wide who were attracted by the American dream of opportunity, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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That is as true for the current US President as it is for most others in the United States. Donald Trump is the grandson of a 16-year-old German immigrant barber, Friedrich Trump, and is the son of Scottish domestic worker Mary Anne MacLeod who emigrated to the USA from Lewis.

None of his grandparents, and only one of his grandparents, was born in the United States or spoke English as their mother tongue. That is a typical American story.

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What then can possibly explain his online attack on four congresswomen who “originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe”, before suggesting they “go back”?

Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry (Picture: John Devlin)Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry (Picture: John Devlin)
Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry (Picture: John Devlin)
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The women – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar – are all part of the new intake of Democratic representatives in Congress. Ms Ocasio-Cortez was born in New York, only 12 miles away from the hospital where Mr Trump himself was born. Only one of the four was born outside the USA, but all four are Congresswomen of colour.

It’s hard to conclude that the tweets were anything other than a loud shrill racist dogwhistle.

Sadly it’s a tune we’ve come used to hearing from Mr Tump, and it will not make America great again.

Unfortunately, he looks set to be soon joined by Boris Johnson as a premier prepared to play the racist tune. We all deserve better.