Donald Trump painted a very bleak picture of what life is like for both Hispanics and black people in U.S. cities during Monday night’s presidential debate.
When addressing issues of race and police brutality, the GOP presidential nominee said the following:
We need law and order. If we don’t have it, we’re not going to have a country. African Americans and Hispanics are living in hell. You walk down the street and you get shot.
Trump even called for the use of stop-and-frisk policies nationwide, a suggestion moderator Lester Holt quickly stopped in its tracks by reminding the candidate the policy had been ruled unconstitutional in New York City because it helped perpetuate racial and ethnic profiling.
Of course, it’s not the first time Trump has made a tone-deaf remark about minorities. Since the very beginning of his campaign, the businessman has said many outrageous things about Latinos.
With that in mind, HuffPost Latino Voices asked our readers to give us their most “concise and eloquent thoughts” on Trump ahead of Monday night’s debate. Here are 31 of the best responses, including comedian George Lopez’s thoughts on Trump.
”Mr. Trump embodies the lasting legacy of racism in the United States. He has empowered white racists to be open with their prejudice. His candidacy has brought about social division and strife. He represents our greatest shame.” ― Sonya Herridge
“During the debate Trump said Hispanics live in hell. He is ignorant of our culture and lives. He makes simple blanket statements about people he knows or cares nothing about.”― Pamela Padilla
“I’m so ashamed to be an American. I cannot believe a man with NO credentials to even be a president is the GOP for the Republican Party. He’s an immature WHITE college frat boy that never grew up and thinks whatever he says he right. How did we get this low?” ― Jacklyn Ashley
“Trump must stop portraying Latinos as dangerous gangsters when most of us are hard-working, tax-paying, successful entrepreneurs, unlike him.”― Carla Sanchez
“Donald Trump scares me. Hearing him talk about communities of color in relation to law and order makes me fearful. Hearing his hateful words makes me afraid for the future and our young people who are listening to him talk like we don’t matter.” ― Krystal Correa
“He can’t even answer a question without scaring people about something else first. And wow, he is obsessed with Mexico and all these perks they have.” ― Esther Tapia
“Mostly he promotes ignorance and ‘oh so much’ hate. A terrible influence for the children of this country. Sadly, he is also a reflection of a very significant group of Americans with similar ideas, an incredible amount of missinformed people that still believes in the illusion that separation and division are important aspects that can benefit this country one day. A real disgrace.” ― Azucena Gonzàlez
“Donald Trump started attacking Latinos at the beginning of his campaign. Generalized everyone as criminal. He represents everything the US is not, taking advantage of the lack of knowledge of his voter. What can I say? That’s just the opinion of a Mexican-Peruvian.” ― Karen Bobadilla
”Fear. I am truly afraid that Donald Trump will win. The support he has and the effect he has on his supporters is scary. He has spread hate and ignorance. The debate just proved that he is not fit to be leader of our nation and that he is more like a spoiled child. If he wins our country and our people are in serious trouble.” ― Edwin G. Monroy
“Mr. Trump is clueless about the struggles of minorities and third world countries as he is ignorant of many policies needed in order to be a functional human being let alone a president. He shows no respect for anybody, he proudly states that he does not pay taxes as he complains about the lack of funding for communities and is fine with being open about taking advantage of minorities and poor people.”― Stephanie Egan
“Tonight’s debate’s showed Trump for who he really is. An out of touch, wealthy, privileged, narcissistic, white male. If Donald Trump is elected president, then this country has gotten the president it deserves.” ― Martha Aguilar
“Mr. Trump relies on generalizing when it comes to historically underrepresented community members. Mr. Trump, being brown and being a part of a group other than white does not make us all bad people. Therefore, it might be in your benefit to stop generalizing.” ― Ariana Huichapa
”Fortunately, Mr. Trump is transparent with his xenophobia, archaic economic policies, lack of diplomacy, knowledge of the US constitution and personal integrity. Unfortunately, there are many individuals who will willingly continue to support him in the name of patriotism.” ― Beck Pimentel
“He has said hateful things time and again, being respectful, and using hate as his flag. He’s trying to divide our communities, and his hateful racists remarks are hurting us.” ― Carlos Raúl
“The most unqualified child to ever run for president.” ― Francisco Herrero
“The Donald has woken communities of color from our slumber...from our miscalculation that we are accepted within the fabric of America’ s cultural, political, economic and societal systems. Together we are United to fight against the Alt Right, the Misogamy and blatant bigotry that this Grand ConArtist spearheads! Our geographic and cultural identities are rooted in America and the horror of being warned of a mass incarceration and mass deportation of the likes the World has not witnessed for 75 years should waken ALL of the dangers of this man & his movement!” ― Julie A. Diaz Martinez
”What is most infuriating is that he draws so much attention away from having the hard conversations we should be having (about economics, justice, racism, violence, labor, the environment, foreign policy, etc etc etc), which also implicate people in the center and on the left.” ― Nell Carden Grey
“No sympathy, preparedness, integrity, a real fiasco. The most unqualified and ridiculous candidate in the U.S. history and complete disrespect for Americans of this century and the previous ones. Not a worthy representative for the most powerful nation in the world.” ― Oscar P. Quintero
“I just hope that this campaign gives the Hispanic community the anger to go out and register to vote, that way they could be hear and respected.” ― Jorge Falcon
“Maybe, we can build a wall around Donald Trump.” ― Steve Quinlan
”Mr. Trump’s performance on this debate confirms where he stands, and that’s nowhere near qualifications to lead a country of the size of United States. He is very confident of himself. He has accepted himself and no one will change him. He said it over and over, he is very proud of his actions, while avoiding the questions he was being asked. Mr. Donald Trump’s strategy tonight was to be a bully.” ― Veronica Cruz
“As a young, Hispanic woman....I’d rather live in what he calls “hell” than live in a world where he is president.” ― Adriana Rodarte
“He is someone that no sane person would want as the POTUS. He does not answer to no one and respects no one. It’s all about ME ME AND ONLY ME. You cannot be a good business man if you have failed soo many times. You are not a leader you are a dictator.” ― Christina N Luis Olidem
“No double minority (a woman who is Mexican -American as I am) wants a man who refers to their Mexican immigrant great grandma as a criminal and or other erroneous and blatantly ignorant and racially derogatory insults as a leader of a our nation, a nation that soon will be dominant with people of Mexican decent. We are the indigenous people of this continent and we are hard working people from a rich and ancient culture that goes beyond taco trucks and illicit behavior. My great grandma worked in the fields all her life picking the food and cotton for this country. Furthermore, his obnoxious and cruel views on women Is not progressive for women’s rights and future advancements. Trump is making a mockery of our political system. He’s a belligerent, discursive hot head who is a power monger. To quote Bob Marley ‘Some people are so poor all they have is money.” And that’s all he has “the root of all evil’.” ― Christina Lastra
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularlyincitespolitical violence and is a
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