There is little more shocking and disheartening than hearing the leader of the United States refer to a group of people, live human beings, as “animals.” As he continues his outraged struggle to build a border wall and appease his rabid fanbase ahead of the 2020 election cycle, however, that’s exactly what Trump did on Friday.
Dan Rather was quick to call him out for it, reminding us all what happens when we dehumanize racial groups.
Please stop for a moment and look at these faces. Imagine their hopes and dreams, their lives snuffed out, murdered by a regime that saw them as other, as less than human. This is a reminder of the importance of speaking out. A reminder to Never Forget. https://t.co/7SsXy6xPP7
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) April 6, 2019
Trump was asked specifically about people from south of the border seeking asylum but answered in broad terms as if every person from south of the border who seeks asylum in the United States are included in a category of violent criminals. He and his administration will wave away his rhetoric by saying that he was referring specifically to MS-13 gang members, a group who comprises less than 0.008 of one percent of all undocumented immigrants, but he did so by demonizing an entire group of people already suffering under Trump’s regime.
.@realDonaldTrump on people asking for asylum "These aren't people. These are animals." pic.twitter.com/pTKY08Obm2
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) April 5, 2019
The photos Rather tweeted were young people murdered in Auschwitz during the reign of Nazi terror in Germany, and the parallels between the treatment of these young people and the treatment of children from south of the border – thrown in cages without their parents, reportedly sexually and physically abused, and many lost to their families forever – are astounding and rage-inducing.
The children pictured were among the 44 children arrested during a Nazi raid & murdered in #Auschwitz in April 1944 (75 years ago tomorrow).
More #photos are available here, in addition to the history, video testimony, and personal stories https://t.co/OHzFh8r0SF pic.twitter.com/qj5OdV19UG
— Yad Vashem (@yadvashem) April 5, 2019
Twitter stood with Rather on his comparison of the two events. Trump either doesn’t understand or simply doesn’t care what evilness he’s drumming up with his alarming rhetoric, but thankfully, many other people do. Read some of their comments below:
Featured image screenshot via YouTube