Eric Trump barks angrily at the idea of fireworks being “racist”
Since they have no material benefits to offer anyone who isn’t already incredibly wealthy, Republican politicians love to make ostentatious displays of patriotism. They’ll wave the flag and rant about American exceptionalism while simultaneously pushing legislation that leaves the American people sicker, poorer, and disenfranchised.
At the same time, Republicans will insist till their blue in the face that Democrats aren’t patriotic enough — as if merely pointing out the areas in which our country can and should be improved is somehow antithetical to being American. True patriotism is having the courage to point out your country’s failings and working to improve them.
The Fourth of July has become a flashpoint for these Republican smear efforts against Democrats, as they exploit what should be a day of national unity and celebration to “trigger the libs” and insist that we hate this country. Inevitably, this need to fabricate outrage leads to conservatives whining about the most inane things. This year, Eric Trump decided to get worked up about fireworks.
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Fireworks have long been a 4th of July staple, but as fun as they may be for many of us they come with some serious downsides. Veterans have reported intensely negative reactions to the explosions, sometimes to the point of triggering their PTSD. Dogs are also adversely affected by the loud noises, which their sensitive ears struggle to process.
A recent article from National Geographic also points out that the air pollution given off by fireworks disproportionately affects communities of color.
Scientists found that vulnerable people and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution from firework celebrations https://t.co/L0FQgthTAK
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) July 4, 2021
Rather than grappling with the downsides of fireworks shows like an adult, Eric Trump decided to strawman the topic during an appearance on Carl Higbie’s far-right Newsmax show. After Higbie brought up the National Geographic article, Eric launched into one of his braindead rants.
“The left needs to make everything about the color of our skin,” said Higbie. “The left woke media are working hard to cancel everything about this country. They’ve already started trying with the Fourth and look at this National Geographic saying fireworks are now racist. Are you kidding me? Fireworks are now racist? Just stick to writing about the mating patterns of snow leopards.”
It should be noted that the National Geographic article didn’t argue that “fireworks are now racist,” because of course fireworks are inanimate objects and have no thoughts on race or any other topics. The article simply explained that we have been ignoring the reality that fireworks inflict a largely unexamined cost on communities of color.
“They want to get rid of our Pledge of Allegiance, they want to get rid of our national anthem, they want to get rid of ‘Under God’,” replied Eric Trump.
“Frankly, you mentioned the fireworks and I’m glad you did,” he went on. “Remember last year at Mt. Rushmore on Fourth of July, I was there with my father and the great governor of that great state Kristi Noem. And we had the greatest fireworks celebration above Mt. Rushmore with literally you know B2’s, B1’s, B2’s flying overhead.”
“I mean it was incredible. I mean there was no more patriotic day,” the ex-president’s son went on. “And then guess what? Biden and the Democrats this year, you know what they do? They cancel the fireworks over Mt. Rushmore. No better, more iconic symbol.”
The fireworks show at Mount Rushmore was not canceled, as Eric Trump implied, because President Biden is somehow inadequately patriotic. Rather, the National Park Service denied North Dakota’s request to hold a fireworks show at Mt. Rushmore due to concerns about the health and safety of park employees as well as visitors. As usual, a member of the Trump family is grossly distorting reality to push a cheap partisan talking point.
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