By now, you've heard about Donald Trump's recent remarks describing Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as "shithole countries." And by now, none of this should surprise you. Given the consistent, overwhelming evidence of Trump's ridiculous inability to grasp anything beyond his own wealthy white male entitlement, we passed the point of surprise a long time ago. If you're surprised, it's on you.
And so, here is another entry into the long log of Trump's unsurprising racism and sexism. Amid the "shithole" backlash, NBC News reports on a previous exchange, in which Trump asked an Asian American intelligence analyst about where her "people" are from, then referred to her as a "pretty Korean lady," and suggested that she should be involved with his administration's talks with North Korea.
Yup. Trump pulled a "Where are you from?"
It's an annoying, perpetual line of questioning that some of us Asian Americans are way too familiar with. In this case, it came from the President of the United States, but it ran its predictable course like a steady river.
A career intelligence analyst who is an expert in hostage policy stood before President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last fall to brief him on the impending release of a family long held in Pakistan under uncertain circumstances.
It was her first time meeting the president, and when she was done briefing, he had a question for her.
"Where are you from?" the president asked, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the exchange.
New York, she replied.
Trump was unsatisfied and asked again, the officials said. Referring to the president's hometown, she offered that she, too, was from Manhattan. But that's not what the president was after.
According to officials, Trump wanted to know where "your people" are from. I'm honestly surprised he didn't compliment her English. After the analyst revealed that her "people" are Korean, Trump reportedly turned to an adviser and asked why the "pretty Korean lady" isn't negotiating with North Korea on behalf of his administration.
This woman is described as an expert in hostage policy, who probably has years of high-level government service and knowledge of sensitive geo-political situations -- actual matters of life and death. Yet here, in Trump's eyes, she is reduced to a "Pretty Korean Lady."
NBC did not interview the analyst, and withheld her name and agency to protect her privacy. The officials who disclosed the exchange "said the president likely meant no harm with his inquiry, but it raised concern of a lack of cultural sensitivity and decorum." Yeah, no shit.
Like I said, this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It doesn't reveal anything new about Trump's character and capacity to lead. We're already aware of his tired, illustrious record of upholding racism, sexism and misogyny. Just throw it on top of the enormous shit stack that currently occupies the White House -- a shit stack that too many have simply chosen to downplay or ignore.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to claim that he is "the least racist person." (Who the fuck says that?)
More here: Trump's history of breaking decorum with remarks on race, ethnicity
