Is Trump ‘Racist’? Democratic Foes Give Varying Answers
- 2020 candidates differ on labeling the president a ‘racist’
- Democrats need to hold minority voters, not alienate whites
This article is for subscribers only.
President Donald Trump’s polarizing rhetoric on race gives Democrats an opportunity to galvanize a base increasingly made up of non-white voters. Yet it also exposes the party’s delicate approach to the nation’s complex racial politics.
Some white candidates in the Democratic contest, such as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, take on the issue explicitly by calling the president a "racist." But black and Latino contenders like Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Cory Booker and former Housing Secretary Julián Castro are more circumspect, mirroring the rhetorical prudence of former President Barack Obama on race.