The three TV networks just gave Donald Trump ten minutes of free air time to stigmatize immigrants. Trump did not announce any new immigration policy, just the same old overpriced Wall. But he did identify immigrants as murderers and drug dealers, even though the crime rate among immigrants is lower than that for the native-born. No other president has ever used an Oval Office Address for this sort of a racist rant.
The television networks have to reconsider giving Trump carte blanche to speak to tens of millions of Americans in the future. We know that the sort of vicious distortions of immigration uttered by the president can only lead to harm for immigrants. Branding immigrants as violent criminals is preparation for a new round of hate crimes. Trump said nothing in his speech that he has not said before. There was no news there. Just incitement. Why did the networks televise this?
