Commentary: President Trump Retweets Fake News
The President is Sending a Clear And Dangerous Message
By: Haziq Naeem
Credit: NBC News
On November 29, President Trump retweeted three tweets from a leader of the extremist group, Britain First, allegedly showing Muslims committing acts of violence.
One of the tweets, appeared to show a Muslim migrant beating a Dutch boy on crutches, which was later proven false by the Dutch embassy.
The other two retweets, which remain unverified, portray events in war torn countries without context, and have numerous other issues with the accuracy and content shown.
None of this has deterred President Trump from standing by the tweets and the messages they convey to Muslims around the world.
The President of The United States retweeting an extremist group is worrisome by itself, and this isn't the first time he has done so.
It is appalling that the leader of this country follows such groups, let alone endorses them through retweets on social media.
It should also be worrisome that much of what Trump has said or done, including this recent episode of tweets, has provided Nazis and other hate groups with enthusiasm and excitement.
The messages communicated by the tweets, however shocking they may seem, keep in line with Trump's past statements and agenda towards those of the Muslim faith.
The purpose of the retweets, according to a White House spokesperson, was to "promote strong borders and national security."
It is clear the authenticity of the videos do not matter, and that the videos do not serve to achieve the stated goals.
"The threat is real", according to the spokesperson. This statement provides useful insight into what the White House, and those that support the administration, think of Muslims.
The message being conveyed is that what matters to Trump and his supporters is their own prejudice. They are willing to cause harm with their policies, regardless of whether it does anything to actually reduce the threat of terrorism.
Propagating the videos and implying the accuracy does not matter. It also serves to deliberately paint all Muslims as somehow complicit or approving of events in the videos.
The threat, according to the White House on numerous occasions, is not just extremists, but the Islamic faith, and therefore Muslims need to be dealt with.
This should be a terrifying prospect for everyone in the United States; not because the President is uncaring of actual threats or facts, but that he is willing to fabricate accusations to further act on his own prejudice.
Not only does the President have no understanding of where the actual threat of terrorism lies, but he is also targeting a group of people, many of whom are American citizens, on the basis of their religious, racial, and national identity.
This is a major cause for concern.
He is sending a message to Muslim Americans that he does not see them as Americans, and will treat them as enemies.
His actions serve to embolden hatred and violence towards those of the Muslim faith around the world.
It might seem baffling as to why the President of the United States would do something that not just discredits and undermines the Presidency, but is also counterproductive to the fight against terrorism.
It is important to remember, however, that the spread of hatred, anger, and misinformation is what helped him rise to the presidency, so it should come as no surprise that he has continued to use such tactics.
President Trump retweets are feeding his base, keeping them focused and angry towards an imagined threat and conveys a false message of being "tough" against terrorism.
In reality, his actions only serve to worsen the problem of terrorism, anger and distance our allies, and propagate a false and dangerous message.
The retweets also serve to normalize such conversation and rhetoric about Muslims, which makes his proposed ban on all Muslims more likely.
The message being sent to people of the Muslim faith within the United States is harrowing. He has displayed that he does not represent them, that he doesn't want them within the country and will actively work to make their lives worse.
This strikes fear and resentment into the hearts of many Muslim American citizens who already feel as if they are being unfairly treated in the name of fighting terrorism.
Republican lawmakers have defended those tweets, showing that there is a much higher tolerance for hatred and bigotry within the halls of power then we would have previously thought.
Such beliefs and actions disseminated by the President of The United States and defended by our legislators should be reason for even the staunchest of Republicans to think about whether they want their country heading down this path, and how it would at all benefit them.
Tagged as: Britain First, Muslim Americans, Politics, President Trump, trump, twitter
Hey, Watch Where You're Parking!
'Tis the Season for Springtime Trends
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that House impeachment managers were preparing to prosecute President Trump in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 26 minutes ago
Brazil hasn't approved a vaccine yet, and health experts who participated in its immunization program say the plan… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 35 minutes ago