The First White President

Trump’s political career began in advocacy of birtherism. But long before that, he had made his worldview clear.

Trump Birtherism Origins of Trump The Atlantic The Atlantic Magazine

Barack Obama delivered to black people the hoary message that if they work twice as hard as white people, anything is possible. But Trump’s counter is persuasive: Work half as hard as black people, and even more is possible

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, theatlantic.com

Trump Obama vs. Trump The Atlantic The Atlantic Magazine TheAtlantic.com

Certainly not every Trump voter is a white supremacist, just as not every white person in the Jim Crow South was a white supremacist. But every Trump voter felt it acceptable to hand the fate of the country over to one.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, theatlantic.com

Trump Administration President Trump Racism In America The Atlantic The Atlantic Magazine

Asserting that Trump’s rise was primarily powered by cultural resentment and economic reversal has become de rigueur among white pundits and thought leaders. But evidence for this is, at best, mixed.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, theatlantic.com

Trump Administration President Trump The Atlantic The Atlantic Magazine TheAtlantic.com

White Americans elected an orcish reality-TV star who insists on taking his intelligence briefings in picture-book form.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, theatlantic.com

Trump Administration President Trump The Atlantic The Atlantic Magazine TheAtlantic.com

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