Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson argued that there “is plenty of evidence” GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is both a demagogue and a racist.
Ms. Abramson’s op-ed Monday for The Guardian, titled “Trump’s rise is the return of the demagogue,” said the billionaire’s statements about barring Muslims from the country, his “constant complaints” about illegal immigrants and his hostility to Mexico are all “racially and ethnically tinged.”
“His elegies to lost American greatness and promises to restore it meet just about every criterion for demagoguery,” she wrote.
Ms. Abramson, who in 2012 was ranked number five on Forbes’ list of most powerful women, compared Mr. Trump to George Wallace, Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot — all candidates she has covered during her career.
“None of the others had the advantage of reality television celebrity or buildings brandishing their names. But I worried every time I heard each of them playing the strongman, offering bromides, and invoking fear that the country was going down the drain,” she wrote.
Mr. Trump has faced renewed allegations of racism since he was endorsed last week by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Mr. Trump later blamed a “bad earpiece” for failing to publicly disavow the white supremacist during a CNN interview.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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