Trump’s Alienation of the Filipino-American Vote

With all of Trump’s other recent gaffs (Obama and Hillary founded ISIS! 2nd Amendment people might be able to do something about Hillary!) you might have missed his alienation of Filipino-American voters.

So, what happened?

On August 4, Trump held a rally in Portland, Maine. He said: “We’re letting people come in from terrorist nations that shouldn’t be allowed because you can’t vet them.” 

Trump followed that statement with examples of migrants from Uzbekistan, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen who were plotting against Americans while living in the US. Among these examples, Trump cited “a legal permanent resident from the Philippines” convicted of “plotting to join Al Queda and the Taliban in order to kill as many Americans as possible.”

Trump said that admitting migrants from such “terrorist nations” is “pure, raw stupidity.”

California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, himself Filipino-American, called Trump’s statements “divisive and hateful” and “a direct attack on the Filipino community.”

It certainly won’t do anything to help the Republican’s weakening hold on the Filipino-American vote, which has been trending towards the Democrats over the past four years.

Here is Trump’s full speech. His comments about immigration start at roughly the twenty minute mark and run about ten minutes.

 -KitJ