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What Trump Means When He Calls Women of Color ‘Radical’
Recent attacks on Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib point to a more sinister right-wing agenda
President Trump set off a viral firestorm when he called for members of “the Squad” (first-year Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — all of whom are U.S. citizens, three of whom are U.S. born) to “go back” to the countries they came from. Representative Omar put it best: “He’s launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color.” Even a few members of the GOP condemned Trump’s statement as racist. Republican Michael Turner of Ohio tweeted that Trump should apologize. And four House Republicans — Representatives Will Hurd of Texas, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Susan Brooks of Indiana — voted in favor of a resolution denouncing Trump’s racist remarks.
“Radical,” like its linguistic kinfolk “angry” and “aggressive,” has recently become another euphemism for a slur specific to women of color who speak truth to power.
After an insincere disavowal (one he later rescinded), Trump pivoted to a seemingly less barbaric invective. In follow-up tweets, he lambasted them as “radical Democrats” who hate America, and later as “4 Radical Left Congresswomen.” Vice President Pence joined the fray, tweeting about the “radical Democrats who accuse Border Patrol of running concentration camps.” White House National Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany followed suit in a tweet about the “radical ‘squad’ of leftists.” The word “radical” to describe the four congresswomen has since echoed in the mouths of right-wing media talking heads like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Bill O’Reilly.
“Radical,” like its linguistic kinfolk “angry” and “aggressive,” has recently become another euphemism for a slur specific to Black, Indigenous, and other women of color who speak truth to power and retort with fact-based…
