The political rhetoric coming from President Donald Trump seems to create an environment where hatred and bigotry can thrive. Unfortunately, the President doesn't actively combat this notion. In fact, he promotes it.
On Sunday morning, President Trump quoted tweeted a protest happening in Florida's Sumter County retirement community, The Villages. In the video, Democratic senior citizens were holding signs and heckling Republican community members who were conducting a parade in Trump's honor.
During one of the exchanges, a Trump supporter raised his fist and yelled "White Power" at an opposing democrat. Instead of condemning this behavior, the President retweeted the video, using the footage as a chance to take a shot at Presidential candidate Joe Biden.
"Thank you to the great people of The Villages," Trump said in a since-deleted quote tweet that failed to acknowledge the "White Power" phrase. "The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!!"
Shortly after deleting the retweet, White House spokesman Judd Deere told White House reporter Jon Lemire that the president
“did not hear" the racist phrase. "President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters.”
The Villages are a stronghold for Trump. A large portion of the retirement community is intensely dedicated to the President and his policies. Yet, not all of the close to 125,000 residents are MAGA supporters. These people consistently hold protests like the recent demonstration that agitate their Pro-Trump neighbors. Despite these gathers, the community continues to be overrun by Trump fanatics and is often credited with giving Trump his 1.2% edge in the state during the 2016 election.
