Letter to the Editor: Trump is not cause of racial tensions

Much of the post-election analysis from mainstream media outlets and within this newspaper would have you believe that race relations have never been worse and that the cause is directly related to the election of Donald Trump.

Those who have opposed his candidacy and now prepare to oppose his presidency intensely focus on a few incidents in order to play up a false narrative about racism and the reasons behind his victory.

In a Nov. 21 opinion piece, columnist Caprice Carter argued that “Trump’s win has given hate groups a platform to stand on.” At no point does that piece mention the opposite side in which protesters are disrupting neighborhoods and campuses across America to protest a fairly contested election and deny the legitimacy of the president-elect, or the acts of violence that have occurred as part of anti-Trump movements.

It should be clear to those on both sides of the isle that acts of hatred and violence are intolerable no matter what the political justification.

Trump has called for an end to any violence and hatred on behalf of his movement and has stayed largely positive and unifying post-election, as a president should.

It is neither fair nor correct to pin the stoking of racial tensions squarely on Trump and those who voted for him. The media and many in opposition push the idea that the entirety of the Trump campaign was built on a bedrock of racism and a hatred toward minorities.

This is wrong and it overlooks the many millions of honest, patriotic and loving Americans who voted in his favor. It is important to remember that Trump won the election based on votes from many of the same people who twice-elected President Barack Obama to office.

The real nourishing of tensions comes from those who perpetuate the idea that a few bad actors represent the entirety of the Trump movement, and that every political conversation needs to be about race.

That is simply not the case.

Connor Jones is a supply chain and logistics technology senior. To submit a guest column, please contact [email protected].