Dem. Rep. Reads Constituent Letter Calling Trump Voters ‘Racist’ and ‘Dumb’ on House Floor
Representative Marcia Fudge (D., Ohio) took to the House floor on Tuesday to share a constituent’s opinion that supporters of President Trump are “racist” and “just plain dumb.”
Addressing her colleagues during the House’s “Morning Hour,” in which lawmakers can speak for five minutes about a topic of their own choosing, Fudge read a letter written by Reverend Ronald Williams, the pastor of Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, Ohio, which cites a single political debate Williams recently had to disparage Trump supporters as a collective.
“It is glaringly apparent that many who support the present administration are either racist, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant, or as my mother used to say just plain dumb,” Williams wrote. “They have chosen to support a president who has a proven record of being sexually condescending to women, will not oppose the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate organizations, is indecisive, condescending to anyone who challenges him, and hides behind his Twitter account rather than dealing with the real issues in our country and around the world. To put icing on this cake, he’s a proven liar.”
During today’s Special Morning Hour, I shared a letter from an OH-11 constituent concerning the current administration. Watch the video to view the full floor speech. pic.twitter.com/D3yx7lDECP
— Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (@RepMarciaFudge) June 11, 2019
Williams goes on to argue that Trump’s election proves American democracy no longer exists, before questioning the religious convictions of “so-called Evangelicals” and chastising congressional Republicans for becoming a “Trump cult.”
After Fudge read Williams’s missive aloud, fellow Democrat Marc Veasey scolded her for relying on someone else’s words to impugn the character of the president.
“Remarks and debate may not engage in personalities toward the president, including by repeating remarks made elsewhere that would be improper if spoken in the member’s own words,” said Veasey, who was then presiding over the House.
Jane Timken, the chair of the Ohio Republican party, criticized Fudge for needlessly seeking to further divide her constituents.
“I hope that this was a lapse in judgment from Rep. Fudge,” Timken said in a statement provided to Cleveland.com. “This kind of language serves only to divide not unite — her constituents deserve more. But this goes to show that Democrats care more about playing identity politics than they do about winning back blue-dog Democrats who overwhelmingly supported the president.”
