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Trump Remarks on Africa, Haiti, El Salvador New Low for His Presidency

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This is a Moment of Reckoning for Senator Rob Portman and Congressional Republicans; Will They Back and Fill for President, Or Take Step Forward and Pass Dream Act?

Cleveland, OH – This week, our nation’s schoolchildren have been learning about the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Meanwhile, our nation’s president is making remarks in the White House that show how much work is left to be done to fully realize King’s Dream.

Said Lynn Tramonte, Director of America’s Voice Ohio:

President Trump’s remarks denigrating the entire nations of Haiti and El Salvador and the continent of Africa prove once again that a racial animus drives his decisions as President.  The fact that he says such racist things so openly has long been a hallmark of his candidacy and presidency, but with every new, scandalous thing Trump says, he continues to tarnish our democracy and drive wedges among our citizens.

Now all eyes on are on Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress: Senator Rob Portman, and Representatives Chabot, Wenstrup, Latta, Johnson, Gibbs, Davidson, Turner, Joyce, Stivers, Tiberi, and Renacci.  This is a moment of reckoning.  Simply denouncing Trump’s words is not enough.  Our leaders need to act to unite Americans, not pit them against each other.  The Dream Act would do just that.  It has bipartisan support among Americans, and it has bipartisan support in Congress.

If Senator Portman and Reps. Chabot, Wenstrup, Latta, Johnson, Gibbs, Davidson, Turner, Joyce, Stivers, Tiberi, and Renacci want to do something meaningful to reject the racist label Trump has given their party, they need to push their leaders to pass the Dream Act before January 19.  There’s an opportunity to do it on the next government funding bill, there is a bipartisan solution teed up, and the time to do it is now.

See also this New York Times op-ed from Governor Kasich and Jeb Bush, Jr. on immigration.