Another man-on-the-street interview from conservative activist Mike Luso features students at Cal Poly Pomona debating over whether or not Trump is a racist, and predictably, the answers ranged from parroted media talking points to exclamations that the president is (you guessed it) literally Hitler. Though most branded Trump “racist,” many of the students also showed a willingness to listen to counterarguments.
While holding a sign with the message “Trump Is Not A Racist … Let’s Talk” emblazoned across, Luso calmly and assertively debated several students as they tried to make their case about President Trump’s alleged racism with arguments that could have been lifted straight from the opening paragraphs of Brian Stelter’s newsletter.
“He uses his power to oppress people of color,” one student told Mike in the video (below). “And he doesn’t give a f*** about nobody.”
When Mike asks the student to give him some examples of Trump’s racism, the student responded, “He’s rude, the things he’s put in place like the wall, the comments he’s made on immigrants, like how Hispanics or Mexicans are rapists.”
As Mike corrected the student by saying the president only said some Mexicans coming across the border were rapists, the student shot back, “It’s not his place to say who’s a rapist and who’s not. He shouldn’t be saying that as president.”
Another student went as far as to compare Trump to Hitler. However, the student calmly allowed Mike to lay out some facts to the contrary and even showed some receptiveness.
Other students were willing to engage in a dialogue about Trump’s alleged racism and were noticeably listening when Mike laid out some important facts. For instance, when one male Hispanic student brought up Trump’s comments on the border crisis, Mike noted some startling statistics on the crime and Central America.
“I’m sure you’re probably aware of crime that goes on in Mexico?” Mike asked the student as they nodded to his questions. “Are you aware that 90% of all heroin comes from the southern border? A thousand kids are sex-trafficked a year from the southern border? 80% of Central American women are raped coming across the southern border?”
Other students were far more hostile in their assertions and resorted to some rather head-scratching arguments in order to justify their position. One female student even asserted that America is a more racist country than it was during the Civil Rights Movement.
“Are we more racist than we were in the Civil Rights Movement?” Mike asked the student.
“I think so,” she responded.
The female student then proceeded to lecture Mike — a black American educated in a private university — on how America is a far more racist country than in the days of Selma.
“Different types of racism,” the female student said. “We still have the same level of racism that we had back then. We have not progressed … when we should have.”
Several students standing near the conversation were then asked if they believe America is a less racist country and a majority raised their hands.
Later, a black female student gave the most nuanced answer of the whole video, arguing that President Trump can mean a litany of things for different groups of people depending on their religious or philosophical beliefs.
Overall, while most students asserted that President Trump is a racist, they were willing to hear opposing viewpoints and allowed Mike to speak his mind without shouting him down.
Mike Luso previously interviewed students at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) if the “Make America Great Again” hat was the new KKK hood.