Footnotes

Is President Trump a racist? The question presents an opportunity to reflect on racism and how we, as a nation, can overcome racism. A good place to begin is by defining who is a racist. Immediately the contested nature of racism appears. On one point there is very little disagreement. A person who participates in an association based on the belief that white people are superior to people of color is a racist. So, members of the KKK are a clear case of racists.

But what about President Trump who doesn’t appear to be a joiner and claims, “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.” Can he still be a racist? Answering this question requires considering what racism and race are.