It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. 

Leah Millis/Reuters

TRUMP ON RACE
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

The killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests over police violence against Black Americans have sparked a new reckoning on racism in America.

They have also drawn renewed attention to how President Donald Trump talks about race.

We combed the archives (and internet) to understand Trump’s words and actions on race and have updated what we found, based on the past year.

Read our full piece here. ([link removed])

Below are a few examples of the president’s sometimes contradictory approach to the topic.

Editor’s Note: This post contains explicit language.


Dec. 23, 1998

Doesn’t hire minority contractors. The chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Commissionchastises Trump ([link removed]) for apparently failing to meet his pledge to make “reasonable efforts” to give 30 percent of contracts for building a Trump golf course to minorities.


April, 2005

Suggests pitting white people against Black people for ratings. On the Howard Stern radio show, ([link removed]) Trump raises an idea for his reality show, The Apprentice -- an all-white team vying against an all-Black team. After show co-host Robin Quivers jokes that will cause a riot, Trump responds, “It would be the highest-rated show on television.”


Jan. 14, 2018

“I am the least racist person you ever interviewed,” Trump tells reporters ([link removed]) when asked about reports that he called Haiti and African nations “s***hole countries.” He denies saying the words, disputing the account of Democratic senators in the room.


Dec. 21, 2018

Signs criminal justice reform. The president signs the FIRST STEP and Juvenile Justice Reform Acts ([link removed]) , bills aimed at reducing racial disparities, especially for Black Americans, in the criminal justice system.


July 30, 2019

Remembering slavery. Speaking at the 400th anniversary ([link removed]) of the 1619 meeting of the colonial legislature in Virginia, Trump also recognizes the arrival of African slaves that same year. “We remember every sacred soul who suffered the horrors of slavery and the anguish of bondage,” and “African Americans have built, strengthened, inspired, uplifted, protected, defended, and sustained our nation from its very earliest days,” he says.


Aug. 7, 2019

Concerned about any kind of hate. While departing to meet with survivors of mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Trump is asked about the rise of white supremacy. He responds ([link removed]) that he is “very concerned” about “any group of hate ... whether it’s white supremacy, whether it’s any other kind of supremacy, whether it’s Antifa, whether it’s any group of hate.” He also says his rhetoric had no impact on the violence.


Sept. 16, 2019

Hispanic adviser looks “like a WASP.” Speaking at a rally in New Mexico, Trump says ([link removed]) an advisor “happens to be Hispanic” but “looks more like a WASP [white anglo-saxon protestant] than I do.” He then says ([link removed]) he has asked the advisor: “Who do you like more, the country, or the Hispanics?”


Oct. 4, 2019

African Americans “built this nation.” Trump hosts the conservative “Young Black Leadership summit” ([link removed]) at the White House, and says “African Americans built this nation,” and that no one has been hurt more by Democrats’ policies than them.


March 16-24, 2020

“Chinese virus.” On Twitter, ([link removed]) Trump writes the U.S. must protect its industries from “the Chinese virus.” He and others in the administration repeatedly use the phrase after this, in at least one case changing his prepared remarks ([link removed]) to include it.


March 23, 2020

The virus is not Asian Americans’ fault. As acts of hostility toward Asian Americans continue to rise ([link removed]) , Trump tweets ([link removed]) , “it is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community” and that the virus spread is “NOT their fault.”


May 27, 2020

Asks for investigation into George Floyd’s death. Trump tweets ([link removed]) he has requested an investigation into Floyd’s May 25 death, describing it as “very sad and tragic,” and saying that he appreciates the work of local law enforcement and his heart goes out to George’s friends and family.


May 30, 2020

“Vicious dogs.” Trump tweets ([link removed]) that any protesters climbing or breaching the White House fence will be met with “the most vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons” he’s ever seen.


June 10, 2020

Will not replace Confederate base names. The president breaks with some military leaders and tweets ([link removed]) that his administration will not consider renaming military installations honoring Confederate figures, writing that they are part of America’s heritage.


June 19, 2020

Statement celebrating Juneteenth. The president and first lady issue a statement to those celebrating Juneteenth ([link removed].) in which they say it reminds them of the “unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation.”


June 22, 2020

Videos of Black people committing acts of violence. As protests over police violence against Black Americans continue, thePresident retweets two videos ([link removed]) depicting Black men attacking white people, asking why there was no protest over one incident ([link removed]) , and calling the other "so terrible!" ([link removed])

June 28, 2020

Retweets video that includes Trump supporter yelling “white power.” Trump retweets a two-minute video of a verbal clash ([link removed]) in a Florida retirement community. A protester asks a Trump supporter, “where’s your [Ku Klux Klan] hood?” The Trump supporter responds by yelling “white power!” The retweet was later deleted and the White House said ([link removed]) the president did not hear the phrase ([link removed]) when he watched the video.

CAN BIDEN WIN OVER BLACK VOTERS WHO CLINTON LOST IN 2016?
By Daniel Bush
Senior political reporter

Over the past month, through virtual events and a growing number of in-person meetings, former Vice President Joe Biden has carefully aligned himself with the protest movement over racial injustice unfolding across the nation — part of a delicate balancing act aimed at unifying a deeply divided country while also urging Black voters to turn out in force for him in November.

The presumptive Democratic nominee held a listening session with Black leaders at a church in Wilmington, Delaware, during the height of the protests in early June, one of his first trips since he suspended campaigning in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two days later Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia criticizing President Donald Trump’s response to the nationwide protests over police brutality set off by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. The following afternoon, Biden discussed race relations at a virtual town hall hosted by The Shade Room, a celebrity news website that started on Instagram and has a largely Black audience.

The protests and the pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted the Black and Latino communities, brought racial inequality to the fore for many voters. Biden’s recent slate of events around race and policing — equal parts listening tour and call to action — is part of a targeted effort to win over Black voters, one that started last year but now comes at a critical moment in the 2020 presidential election.

In the weeks since Floyd’s death, Biden’s lead over Trump in national polls has widened, and surveys show nine in 10 Black voters prefer him to the president.

“The polls look good, but it’s all about turnout. [Biden] needs to get Black participation if he wants to win,” said Keith Williams, the head of the Michigan Democratic Party’s Black Caucus. “The Democatic Party cannot take Black folks for granted” in 2020, he added.

The polls leading up to the 2016 election also suggested Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee that year, was broadly popular with Black voters. But her support ended up being lower than expected. Black turnout dropped from 66.6 percent in 2012 to 59.6 percent in 2016 — the largest decline in voting among Black Americans from one presidential election to the next in decades, according to a report ([link removed]) by the Pew Research Center.

Overall, 4.4 million people who voted for Barack Obama in 2012 did not vote in 2016. Of those, 1.6 million were Black, according to an authoritative study ([link removed]) on the election. The group included several hundred thousand Black voters under the age of 30.

Read the rest of the story here ([link removed]) .


FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz ([link removed])
Politics production assistant

More than 13,000 federal workers face a possible furlough of 30 days or longer ([link removed]) -- June 24. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will have to furlough nearly 75 percent of its workforce without a cash infusion from Congress, as the pandemic and President Donald Trump’s executive order curbing immigration have dramatically cut back on a key revenue source for the agency: fees from visa and citizenship applications. Why It Matters: If the USCIS cuts its workforce, many parts of the legal immigration process will be temporarily halted as they’re unable to process applications, including those for asylum seekers and refugees. -- The Washington Post

Second presidential debate moved from Ann Arbor to Miami amid coronavirus concerns ([link removed]) -- June 23. Despite the University of Michigan allowing some in-person instruction to resume in the fall, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced last Tuesday that the university did not feel equipped to handle such a large event in the midst of a pandemic. Why it Matters: This is the second time in recent weeks that Florida has volunteered to host a large political event, despite the state having a record number of coronavirus cases in the past few days. -- The Washington Post

Charleston, S.C. Removes Statue of Slavery Advocate John C. Calhoun After Unanimous Vote ([link removed]) -- June 24. The statue, originally thought to be protected by South Carolina’s Heritage Act, has been a divisive symbol in the city for more than 100 years. Why It’s Important: Previously, activists looking to remove statues have been stymied by the act, which requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate — currently dominated by conservatives — to make changes to historical statues or names of buildings. The city council’s interpretation suggests local officials are willing to rethink these kinds of regulations as the conversation on racial inequalities happening across the nation continues. -- Time

As the Coronavirus Spreads, Drug Pricing Legislation Remains Stalled ([link removed]) -- June 27. As U.S. unemployment remains high, patients continue to be crushed by astronomical pharmaceutical bills, with little talk of relief happening in congress. Why It Matters: Advocates who spent time lobbying politicians for change fear the coronavirus pandemic and the call to action on systemic racism will make drug prices less of a priority — for Congress and for presidential candidates. But they say coronavirus will only make this issue worse in 2020. -- The New York Times

Trump Nominates New Federal Election Committee Commissioner ([link removed]) -- June 26. This six-member panel has three open seats, which means the committee is without a quorum. Why It Matters: Unless Trump can quickly get his nomination approved by the Senate, the panel will no longer be able to rule on campaign finance law, which could have grave effects in an election year. -- The Wall Street Journal


#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke ([link removed])
Politics producer

In honor of Independence Day, today’s trivia will be about America’s founding. There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest, at 70.

Our question: Who was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: On this day in 1947, Congress overrode a veto by President Harry Truman to enact the Taft-Hartley Act, a law restricting the power of labor unions. Which U.S. president had the most vetoes overridden by Congress?

Answer: Andrew Johnson

Out of 29 total vetoes from Johnson, 15 were overridden. The president who used the veto most often was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Roosevelt used pocket and regular vetoes 635 times and only nine of those were overridden. One famous example: The Revenue Act of 1943. In the middle of World War II, after asking for $10.5 billion in federal excise taxes, the House Ways and Means Committee cut Roosevelt’s request to just more than $2 billion. Roosevelt angrily vetoed the legislation, but Congress overrode his veto.

Congratulations to our winners: Priscilla R. Smith and Harry Howard!!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.
[link removed]


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