Why Is It Still Controversial to Call Trump a Racist?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Anderson Cooper that there’s “no question” where Trump stands; Cooper appeared confused
By Ryan Bort
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) took a break from clapping back against conservatives on Twitterto sit down for a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper. The freshman congresswoman’s appearance on America’s highest-rated news program, which aired Sunday night, was the first extra-Internet opportunity for Ocasio-Cortez to broadcast some of her policy beliefs to a national audience. As was revealed in a teaser clip posted Friday, these include a 70 percent marginal tax rate on the wealthy, which was bandied about online throughout the weekend. But for all of her talk about tax rates, universal healthcare and a Green New Deal to combat climate change, Ocasio-Cortez has mostly abstained from taking on the president directly. When Cooper asked her why, she explained that she treats Trump as more of a “symptom of a problem.” Part of this problem, she went on, is racism in America. Cooper then asked her to state the obvious.
“The president certainly didn’t invent racism,” said Ocasio-Cortez, “but he’s certainly given a voice to it, and expanded it, and created a platform for those things.”
