Lawmakers: Trump needs to push back harder against racial violence

Members of Congress in both parties say President-elect Donald Trump should do more to condemn racially motivated violence in the aftermath of his election victory.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate incidents, has reported more than 300 election-related incidents of harassment or intimidation since Trump’s historic upset victory a week ago, according to CNN. 

The conflicts have ranged from someone painting a swastika surrounded by the words “Make America White Again” in Wellsville, N.Y.; to a Muslim woman in Ann Arbor, Mich., threatened with a lighter unless she removed her hijab; to graffiti in Durham, N.C., declaring “Black lives don’t matter and neither does [sic] your votes.”

{mosads}Trump made his first — and to date, only — comments on the violence when asked about the incidents during a “60 Minutes” interview taped last Friday. 

Trump said he had only seen “one or two instances” of personal threats made against Hispanics, Muslims, African-Americans or gays by some of his supporters.  

“I would say don’t do it, that’s terrible, ‘cause I’m gonna bring this country together,” Trump said. He also said directly into the camera: “Stop it.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took to the House floor on Wednesday to urge Trump to do more to bring the country together after an extraordinarily divisive campaign. 

Trump’s decision to hire Stephen Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, as his chief strategist in the White House has further added to Democrats’ consternation. Under Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart has become a popular platform for the “alt-right,” a nationalist movement that embraces white supremacy. His influential role in the Trump administration was cheered by white nationalists this week. 

Jackson Lee, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, suggested Trump deliver a high-profile speech urging the country to come together and reject racism.

“Let me simply say it is time to do a major speech to reject this kind of hatred, this kind of rejection of the American people. Why is there such silence and why is Mr. Bannon still in the White House?” Jackson Lee said in a House floor speech.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) agreed Trump should be more vocal in condemning the violence and without being prompted by an interviewer. The freshman lawmaker expressed early opposition to Trump during the campaign and represents a majority-Hispanic district in Southern Florida.

“I think he can do more,” Curbelo told The Hill steps from the House floor. 

Curbelo suggested Trump could maximize the power of his Twitter account and send a message from there. Trump has issued a series of tweets since his victory last week, two of which responded to protests against him in cities across the country while others complained about coverage in The New York Times.

But none of his tweets to date have addressed the racial violence.

“Just be more visible,” Curbelo advised. “And obviously he likes to make his voice heard and use social media, and that’s a great vehicle to urge people to come together, to stomp out the hate and the violence that we’re seeing in our politics. This is the time to do it.”

Some Trump supporters have also encountered violence. 

A man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat was attacked by two men while riding the New York City subway on Tuesday. And in Connecticut, two people were arrested for assaulting a man holding a Trump sign over the weekend. 

“This country has to function,” Curbelo said.