Trump Says the 'Suburban Housewife' Will Vote for Him Because 'They Want Safety'

The president was accused of blowing a racist dog whistle, as he cited suburban women's fears of low-income housing "invading their neighborhood."

August 12, 2020

Donald Trump has, once again, been accused of using racial scare tactics to revive his failing re-election campaign.

A day after Joe Biden announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate, Trump posted a tweet that many are criticizing as both out of touch and bigoted.

"The 'suburban housewife' will be voting for me," he wrote in the message, which tagged Fox News' Fox & Friends and Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo. "They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!"

Twitter users blasted Trump for attempting to appeal to white grievances and create a narrative that the "suburban" way of life was under attack. The "program" referenced in the tweet is the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing law, an Obama-era rule aimed at curbing housing discrimination in cities and towns across America. Trump announced last month that his administration moved to rescind the housing law.

"I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood," Trump tweeted. "Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!"

It's unclear why Trump claimed Cory Booker would lead the "charge" in re-installing AFFH, but it's worth noting that Booker is the only Black Democratic man serving in Senate.

Contrary to Trump's claim, recent polls show he is trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Biden among suburban voters. Politico points to Fox News and ABC News/Washington Post polls that had the former vice president leading by nine and 11 percentage points, respectively, in the suburbs.

"The tweet is a generous serving of the racism and sexism we’ve long seen from this president," Mother Jones editor Inae Oh wrote about Trump's post. "On the heels of the groundbreaking Harris news, it's all the more glaring."

You can read other reactions to the president's appeal to "suburban housewives" below.