REUTERS/David Dee Delgado
Former President Donald Trump shocked political experts and commentators on Monday with a controversial on-air rant about people having “bad genes.” During an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump’s remarks about undocumented immigrants struck a nerve, with many accusing him of echoing eugenics—a discredited ideology infamously associated with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s policies.
“Many of them murdered far more than one person,” Trump stated during the interview. “A murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” His comments quickly ignited widespread criticism, as they appeared to suggest that criminal behavior is genetically predetermined.
CNN aired the clip Monday morning, and host John Berman, visibly shocked by Trump’s rhetoric, directly addressed the inflammatory statement. “He was calling them murderers,” Berman said, underscoring the severity of Trump’s remarks. Berman then invited two political strategists, Republican Lanhee Chen, and Democrat Aisha Mills, to weigh in on the implications of Trump’s comments.
Aisha Mills did not hold back, warning viewers about the dangers of Trump’s language. “We have long known that Donald Trump has revered the Nazis,” Mills said. “He has revered Hitler, has read his books…Trump has had a very sinister philosophy of wanting to be a dictator.” Mills went on to caution that Trump’s comments should not be dismissed as a mere “Freudian slip” but as something far more alarming.
“He would absolutely try to exterminate an entire group of people because he thinks that their genes are somehow different than his,” Mills asserted, her voice firm with conviction. “I say this with all the sternness that you hear in my voice because it is serious and Americans should recognize that.”
On the other side of the political spectrum, Lanhee Chen, while attempting to minimize the gravity of the comment, also found it difficult to defend Trump’s words. “This is an example of an issue where Trump would have the opportunity to have an advantage, which is immigration,” Chen said. “But comments like this are certainly not useful in driving that advantage.” Chen’s remarks reflected a growing sentiment among some conservatives who are distancing themselves from Trump’s more extreme rhetoric.
On social media, political experts were quick to condemn Trump’s statement. Constitutional attorney Anthony Michael Kreis tweeted, “Donald Trump has gone full eugenicist here. It’s so deeply harmful.” Pradheep J. Shanker, a contributor to the conservative ABC News, responded, “This isn’t even surprising from him. He doesn’t give a damn about the harm.”
The incident has reignited debates over Trump’s divisive language and the potential consequences of his rhetoric. While Trump’s supporters may dismiss the controversy, others believe his words carry dangerous undertones that cannot be ignored.
