President Donald Trump, who doubles as the self-proclaimed “least racist person anywhere in the world” and the self-proclaimed “best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” is inarguably anti-Black. He has refused to condemn white supremacy, pushed baseless, racist conspiracy theories about “white genocide” in South Africa (while never having heard of Lesotho), and called African nations “shithole countries.” Unfortunately, he’s only just beginning his second stint in Chocolate City. The appropriately named White House just so happens to sit in the middle of a 40 percent-Black city brimming with African American culture and pride. I wonder if he’s noticed.
Even more unfortunate (though completely expected) is that he is actively complicating the lives of 290,000 Black Washingtonians through numerous means. Such are the plights of their nearest neighbors, the 1.8 million Black Marylanders and the 1.6 million Black Virginians.
One of the first orders of his second term was to unilaterally pardon every detained domestic terrorist involved in the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Having no choice but to obey, the DC Jail loosed swarms of violent offenders, many of them proven white supremacists, onto the District’s largely Black streets. What could possibly go wrong?
Trump has also all but destroyed the District’s economy by axing or otherwise targeting more than 120,000 federal workers in the span of a few months. Maryland and Virginia are also deeply affected by this destruction, being the second- and fourth-place states in federal jobs per 100,000 residents respectively. His masochistic tariff-centric economic policy has hemorrhaged financial markets and decreased the value of the United States dollar, injecting even more economic uncertainty into the gentrification-heavy and job-light District. Keep in mind that Trump-induced job scarcity is an especially dire issue for Black Americans following his multiple assaults on DEI policies, opening the door for hiring and workplace discrimination.
The harrowing effects of Trump’s lawless deportation crusade, as one would expect, are plainly visible in the DMV. A beloved annual festival in Maryland that celebrates the people and culture of El Salvador was cancelled this year due to fear of deportations. The ever-dissolute Trump also maintains a friendship and partnership with El Salvador’s self-described “world’s coolest dictator” Nayib Bukele. Their relationship has intensified deportation fears thanks to the looming threat presented by El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison, where hundreds of migrants (many of whom entered the country legally) have been sent on Trump’s orders. This is especially worrying for residents of the District, the only city in the nation where Salvadoran Americans make up the majority of Latin Americans.
While it’s undeniable that Trump poses a very serious threat to DMV residents, the larger issue is of course that he poses a very serious threat to the entire country and world. The overall effect of his quest to make America great again is that fear, uncertainty, and economic ruin have been allowed to reign supreme in the so-called greatest country in the world. But like the stories of so many heinous offenders, the problems start at home.
Featured image/photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.