The echoes of Jim Crow in Trump's invective against black athletes

It's something out of the 1920s

Jacksonville Jaguars players kneel during the U.S. national anthem before a match.
(Image credit: Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs)

As a devastated Puerto Rico remained almost entirely without cell phone, water, or electricity service this weekend, President Trump continued his feud with black athletes who choose to kneel quietly during the national anthem before a game. Clearly referring to unemployed quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Trump said: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now?'" He later started another feud with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who decided not to visit the White House for a championship celebration, prompting Trump to withdraw the invitation. (You can't fire me, I quit!)

There are many points to make about this. But perhaps the most striking aspect of the situation is how cleanly it fits into the old racist grooves about black entertainers. Trump's foul tirade could easily have come out of the mouth of any white Jim Crow mayor in the 1920s.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.