The scheduling gods are not without a sense of humor. Members of the “National Diversity Coalition for Trump” have a meeting scheduled at the Republican National Committee’s headquarters today, in order to “develop strategies for reaching out to racial and ethnic minorities in the general election.”
The discussion will apparently include “black, Muslim, Asian and Latino leaders” organized in support of Donald Trump’s candidacy. No, seriously.
The day before this gathering in D.C., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee boasted he’s “got more Native American blood in me” than Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), which he followed soon after with this exchange at a town-hall meeting in New Hampshire.
Donald Trump faced a number of wild questions at a town hall here Thursday, including one from a woman who suggested he replace “heebeejabees” working as TSA officers with veterans.The woman suggested Trump address the jobs shortage for veterans by employing them at the border or with TSA, asking him to “get rid of all these ‘heebeejabies’ they wear at TSA,” presumably a reference to workers who wear the Muslim headscarf called a “hijab.”
Trump replied, “We’re looking at that. We’re looking at that. We’re looking at a lot of things.”
He didn’t elaborate, and that’s a shame, because I’d love to hear more about what exactly Trump and his team are “looking at.” In fact, it’s worth noting that as recently as February, the candidate said he’s comfortable with new laws that restrict Muslim women from wearing burkas.
Meanwhile, Trump also appeared on Howie Carr’s Boston-area radio show yesterday — Carr, of course, mocked Elizabeth Warren with a gesture that is offensive to Native Americans at a Trump event the day before — where the candidate complained about Hillary Clinton accusing him of xenophobia.
“Hillary’s called me a ‘xenophobe’ a few times. How many people even know what the word means? Same with ‘nativist,’” Trump said.
He made a similar point on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show the night before. When the host played a clip of Clinton blasting Trump’s xenophobia and misogyny, Trump replied, “All of the phobias that nobody even knows what she is talking about to be honest with you. Why doesn’t she say it like it is?”
In other words, Trump isn’t particularly concerned with the substance of the allegations, so much as he’s unfamiliar with words like “xenophobe.”
Members of the “National Diversity Coalition for Trump” have their work cut out for them.
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."