"Trump's Systematic Pattern of Racism and Sexism Across All Spheres” - 27 August 2025

Kia ora, kaitiaki, whānau. Ko Ivor Jones ahau - he tangata whenua, he kaitiaki hoki o te pono.

This essay exposes the racist and sexist tyrant who currently occupies the American presidency - a man whose decades-long pattern of degrading women and people of colour reveals the rotted core of white supremacist power in the modern West.

Trump at press conference displaying confrontational body language

Background

Donald Trump's presidency represents the ugly culmination of centuries of settler colonial violence, now weaponised through modern media and democratic institutions. From a te ao Māori perspective, Trump embodies the worst aspects of colonial patriarchy - the toxic combination of racial superiority and male dominance that our tīpuna faced during European invasion and that Indigenous peoples worldwide continue to resist.

Understanding Trump requires grasping how colonisation creates and sustains hierarchies of power. The same mentalities that justified stealing Māori land, suppressing our language, and destroying our whānau structures now manifest in Trump's systematic attacks on women and minorities. This is not coincidental - it is the predictable behaviour of a system designed to concentrate power in the hands of white men while marginalising everyone else.

The principle of manaakitanga teaches us to treat all people with dignity and respect. Trump's conduct represents its complete opposite - a deliberate strategy to dehumanise and diminish those who challenge his authority. His attacks on journalists, politicians, and ordinary citizens follow patterns established during centuries of colonial domination.

Trump delivering divisive rhetoric at campaign rally

Trump's racism and sexism are not random outbursts but calculated weapons deployed to maintain power structures that benefit wealthy white men at the expense of everyone else. His documented history spans decades, from discrimination lawsuits in the 1970s to his current presidency.

The scope of Trump's bigotry is staggering. He has attacked female reporters by calling their questions "nasty" and dismissing them as incompetent. He has targeted Black journalists with particular venom, telling them to "sit down" and calling their questions "racist".

Trump's treatment of women reveals deep-seated misogyny that sees female authority as inherently illegitimate. His pattern includes reducing women to their physical appearance, questioning their competence, and using explicitly gendered insults. Against people of colour, he deploys centuries-old racist stereotypes while positioning himself as the victim of discrimination.

For Māori and other Indigenous peoples, Trump's behaviour represents the continuation of colonial strategies designed to maintain white dominance. His attacks on diversity programs, immigration, and multiculturalism mirror the assimilationist policies that nearly destroyed our culture. The principle of mana whenua - the authority that comes from belonging to place - is completely foreign to Trump's extractive, exploitative worldview.

Trump during media interview displaying characteristic demeanor

The Weaponisation of Press Conferences

Trump has transformed the supposedly democratic institution of press conferences into arenas for public humiliation of women and minorities. His confrontations with PBS NewsHour reporter Yamiche Alcindor exemplify this pattern, repeatedly calling her questions "nasty" and "racist" while refusing to engage with substantive policy issues.

The targeting is not random. During a post-election press conference, Trump told CNN's Abby Phillip "What a stupid question that is" and added "I watch you a lot, you ask a lot of stupid questions" while wagging his finger at her. He dismissed American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan as someone who "doesn't know what the hell she's doing" and called her a "loser".

This behaviour follows deliberate patterns that echo colonial authority structures. Academic research confirms that Trump's attacks on women reporters are "especially sharp, and hit at the reporter's basic intelligence and competence as a person". The message is clear - women and people of colour have no legitimate place questioning white male authority.

From a te ao Māori perspective, this represents the complete perversion of kōrero - meaningful dialogue based on mutual respect. Trump uses his platform not to engage with important issues but to publicly degrade those who challenge him. The National Association of Black Journalists condemned his behaviour as "appalling, irresponsible and should be denounced".

Trump addressing the nation from the White House during his presidency

Decades of Racial Hatred

Trump's racism predates his presidency by decades, revealing a consistent pattern of viewing non-white people as inherently inferior and threatening. In 1989, he took out full-page newspaper advertisements calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five - five Black and Latino teenagers wrongly accused of rape. Even after DNA evidence exonerated them and they received a $41 million settlement, Trump continued to maintain their guilt, stating "You have people on both sides of that".

Trump spent years promoting the racist "birther" conspiracy theory, falsely claiming Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore illegitimate as president. This campaign was explicitly racist, designed to undermine America's first Black president by questioning his fundamental right to belong.

The violence of these attacks cannot be understated. Trump's birther campaign was described by Colin Powell as "racist" and reflected centuries-old patterns of questioning Black people's legitimacy and citizenship. Michelle Obama wrote that she would "never forgive" Trump for promoting conspiracy theories that put her family at risk.

"Shithole Countries" and Global White Supremacy

In 2018, Trump reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations as "shithole countries" while suggesting America should accept more immigrants from places like Norway. The United Nations human rights office called these comments "shocking and shameful" and "racist".

The African Union demanded an apology, expressing "shock, dismay and outrage" at Trump's "dishonour of the celebrated American creed and respect for diversity and human dignity". The contrast between condemning predominantly Black nations while praising Norway - a majority white country - revealed the explicitly racial nature of Trump's worldview.

These comments echo the colonial discourse that justified centuries of extraction and exploitation. Trump also reportedly claimed Haitians "all have AIDS" and Nigerians would never "go back to their huts" after seeing America. This language reduces entire continents to racist stereotypes while positioning white nations as inherently superior.

Trump on debate stage where many controversial remarks were made

The Systematic Degradation of Women

Trump's misogyny operates through multiple strategies designed to reduce women to sexual objects while questioning their professional competence. The 2005 Access Hollywood tape captured him boasting "I just start kissing them... I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy".

This was not youthful indiscretion but the expression of a worldview that sees women as objects for male consumption. Former Apprentice producer Bill Pruitt recently alleged Trump used racial slurs during filming and regularly made sexist comments about female contestants. Gene Folkes, a Black contestant, reported Trump asking if a crew member was "your woman" and suggesting they would "make a really great couple" because "you both have the same background".

Trump's attacks on female politicians follow similar patterns. He repeatedly called Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas," a racist taunt that also dismissed her professional credentials. After Warren dropped out of the presidential race, Trump claimed she had a "tremendous lack of talent" and was "a very mean person" while insisting "people don't want that".

Creating a Climate of Fear

The cumulative impact of Trump's behaviour has been to create an environment where women and people of colour face increased harassment and violence. During his recent appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump characterised basic accountability questions as asked "in such a horrible manner" while claiming to be the victim of unfair treatment.

Research documents how Trump's rhetoric has emboldened his supporters to target journalists, particularly women and people of colour. April Ryan, who has covered the White House for over 20 years, reported receiving death threats and hiring security after Trump's attacks.

The strategy is deliberate - use presidential authority to legitimise harassment while claiming victimhood when challenged. Trump banned CNN's Kaitlan Collins from press events after she asked about his connections to Michael Cohen. Even Fox News, Trump's usual ally, condemned this action as an attack on press freedom.

Implications

Trump's presidency has normalised levels of racist and sexist behaviour that would have ended political careers in previous eras. Studies show his rhetoric has contributed to increased harassment of journalists, particularly targeting women and minorities. This represents a systematic assault on democratic norms and the safety of those who hold power accountable.

For Indigenous peoples globally, Trump's presidency demonstrates how quickly supposed democratic protections can be dismantled by authoritarian leaders. His attacks on diversity programs, environmental protections, and Indigenous rights echo the colonial policies that devastated our communities. The principle of whakatōhea - collective responsibility - demands we recognise these attacks as threats to all marginalised peoples.

Trump's behaviour has also emboldened similar figures worldwide. From the treatment of Indigenous journalists in Canada to attacks on Māori media in New Zealand, we see Trump's playbook being adopted by authoritarians globally. The rise of what researchers call "toxic masculinity" in political discourse threatens democratic institutions everywhere.

The long-term damage extends beyond individual victims to the fabric of society itself. When the most powerful person in the world routinely degrades women and minorities, it signals that such behaviour is acceptable. This erosion of basic human dignity undermines the social bonds necessary for healthy communities.

The Māori Green Lantern fighting misinformation and disinformation from the far right

Conclusion

Donald Trump is not an aberration but the logical endpoint of systems designed to concentrate power in the hands of wealthy white men while marginalising everyone else. His racism and sexism represent the continuation of colonial violence through modern democratic institutions.

From a te ao Māori perspective, Trump embodies everything our ancestors fought against - the reduction of human relationships to power and exploitation, the denial of basic dignity to those deemed "other," and the perversion of leadership from service to self-aggrandisement. His presidency reveals the fragility of democratic norms when confronted by authoritarian leaders willing to abandon basic human decency.

The evidence is overwhelming - Trump has spent decades systematically degrading women and people of colour across every sphere of his influence. His behaviour as president represents not a departure from his character but its fullest expression through the most powerful office in the world.

We must name this behaviour for what it is - white supremacist patriarchy weaponised through democratic institutions. Only by confronting this reality directly can we begin to build the inclusive, respectful societies our communities deserve.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. Trump's presidency represents the complete rejection of this fundamental truth - that all people deserve dignity, respect, and the chance to flourish.

The resistance continues. The truth endures. And ultimately, aroha will triumph over hate.

For readers who find value in my work exposing racism and defending democratic principles, please consider supporting this kaupapa with a koha to HTDM: 03-1546-0415173-000. I understand these are challenging times for whānau, so please only contribute if you have capacity and wish to do so.

Mauri ora, kaitiaki. The struggle for justice continues.

Ivor Jones
The Māori Green Lantern