Trump disparaged Somali-origin politicians' intelligence during midterm questions
At a vaccine-order event, Trump criticized Democratic candidates, then invoked Somalia as an example of origins whose arrivals lacked intelligence and aptitude to tell Americans how to govern. [The American Presidency Project (official presidential transcript)]
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Source-checked record of Trump's public remarks. Claims within the remarks are attributed statements, not independently established facts.
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The record.
At a vaccine-order event, Trump criticized Democratic candidates, then invoked Somalia as an example of origins whose arrivals lacked intelligence and aptitude to tell Americans how to govern. [The American Presidency Project (official presidential transcript)]
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The context.
The remarks followed a question about midterm-election recommendations. His passage generalized about origins and aptitude; this candidate does not infer the identity of every unnamed candidate. [The American Presidency Project (official presidential transcript)]
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Editorial classification.
racial-or-ethnic · demeaning-language · political-opponent
The stated link between Somali origins and deficient intelligence or aptitude supplies the rationale for ethnic disparagement. [The American Presidency Project (official presidential transcript)]
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- Official presidential transcript · The American Presidency Project (official presidential transcript)Remarks on Signing an Executive Order on Childhood Vaccine Schedule Recommendations and an Exchange With Reporters
Democratic Party section; paragraphs beginning 'These are people' and 'They come from'; web text lines 265–275
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-executive-order-childhood-vaccine-schedule-recommendations-and-exchange
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