President’s targeting of Fed governor Lisa Cook highlights his efforts to remove diverse voices from government
A day after Donald Trump announced that he was firing Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, the White House proudly released a photo. It showed Trump, his cabinet and other officials giving a thumbs-up. Of the 24 people in the Oval Office, only one was Black.
For those who have studied the US president’s long and troubling history of racism, the two events were more than mere coincidence. They were indicative of a man who has recently brought white nationalist perspectives from the margins back to the mainstream.
Trump has vehemently denied that he is a racist, pointing to a modest increase in support among African American voters in last year’s election, when his opponent was a Black woman. But critics suggest that his effort to oust Cook fits a pattern of purging diverse voices from the higher ranks of leadership.
If there is a civil war, I suspect minorities will form the backbone of the free states. Conservatives have demonstrated malice and incompetence, and many skilled minorities will lend their ability to governance that doesn’t suck. Kinda like how black troops were some of the best forces of the Union.