And we're off! The Republican presidential candidates appear to be in a neck-and-neck horserace to see who can offend the hell out of Asians. The latest shot comes from -- surprise, surprise -- Donald Trump.
Well, that didn't take long. Just a day after Florida governor Jeb Bush threw Asians under the bus with his comments about "anchor babies," Republican front-runner Donald Trump did a shitty little impression of Asians, using broken English during a campaign speech in Iowa on Tuesday night.
"Negotiating with Japan, negotiating with China, when these people walk into the room, they don't say, 'Oh hello, how's the weather, so beautiful outside, isn't it lovely? How are the Yankees doing? Oh they are doing wonderful, great,'" Trump told supporters in Dubuque. "They say, 'We want deal.'"
You really have to see the video for the full effect:
At least he didn't pull back his eyes. (Though he might as well have.)
Look, I know it's Donald Trump. He's ridiculous. He's joke. But he's fucking running for President of the United States. At least we know how he regards "these people." Was the point of his racist little impression to demonstrate that, in comparison to those incompetent Chinese and Japanese negotiators, he's a People Person?
I guess the GOP has pretty much declared a state of Don't-Give-A-Shit when it comes to Asian American voters. We have been rendered invisible and inconsequential to a field that has clearly opted out of representing our community in any way. Bring on the anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner rhetoric. It gets the base all wild and frothy. And baby, we're just getting started. There will be a lot more of this to come.
More here: Trump impersonates Asian negotiators