Are You a Person of Color? I Believe Donald Trump Hates You: The Welcome Bag For White South African Refugees

Are You a Person of Color? I Believe Donald Trump Hates You: The Welcome Bag For White South African Refugees

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #944: Wednesday, June 24th, 2026.

Why I Believe Trump’s Record on Race Deserves Serious Scrutiny

First, let’s get this out of the way.

I don’t expect anyone to accept my conclusion simply because I state it.

I expect them to look at the record.

Over the past decade, Donald Trump has repeatedly made statements about race… ethnicity…immigration…and national identity that have drawn condemnation from civil rights organizations…historians…former administration officials…and members of both major political parties.

Consider the public record:

• He launched his 2015 campaign by describing many immigrants from Mexico as “rapists” and criminals.

• He reportedly referred to African nations and Haiti as “shithole countries” during an Oval Office immigration meeting.

• He told four Democratic members of Congress…three of whom were born in the United States…to “go back” to the countries they came from.

• He repeatedly promoted the false claim that white South Africans are victims of a “genocide.”

• He has described immigrants as “poisoning the blood of our country,” language that historians have noted echoes earlier nativist rhetoric.

• He questioned whether a federal judge could fairly oversee a case because of the judge’s Mexican heritage.

• He publicly questioned Kamala Harris’s racial identity during the 2024 campaign.

• He amplified false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, that local officials said were untrue.

Reasonable people can disagree about Trump’s motives.

But…taken together…these statements reveal a consistent pattern: race and ethnicity are repeatedly used as political dividing lines rather than simply discussed as matters of public policy.

That pattern is why many critics…including civil rights advocates…scholars…and former Republican officials…have concluded that Trump’s rhetoric on race is not incidental but recurring.

Readers should examine the evidence themselves…and decide whether they reach the same conclusion.

Sometimes history doesn’t announce itself with tanks rolling through a city or a president standing behind a podium.

Sometimes...

It arrives in a gift bag.

According to reporting by The New York Times, the Trump administration plans to welcome white South African refugees with something almost unheard of: an Android tablet. An American flag. Copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

And…then comes the part that should make every American stop.

The reading material.

Not information about finding housing.

Not instructions on navigating American government.

Not resources on schools…jobs…or healthcare.

Instead, the reported package includes ideological material arguing that white South Africans are victims of racial persecution…educational content from PragerU…and the Trump administration’s own 1776 Commission report…a document that casts deep suspicion on modern understandings of slavery…race…and even parts of the Civil Rights Movement.

That’s not orientation.

That’s narrative construction.

Governments don’t accidentally choose what stories to tell new arrivals.

Every page placed inside that bag is a statement about what kind of America these immigrants are expected to see…and what kind of America they’re expected to help build.

For years…Americans have been told there simply isn’t enough room.

Not enough room for families fleeing civil wars.

Not enough room for people escaping authoritarian governments.

Not enough room for refugees caught between collapsing states and violent militias.

America’s refugee system…we’ve been told…has to be dramatically restricted.

Except...

Apparently there is room.

There is room if you are exactly the right refugee.

President Trump has repeatedly singled out white South Africans…claiming they are victims of persecution…a claim rooted in the disputed “white genocide” narrative that has circulated for years despite being rejected by numerous researchers and South African authorities.

Out of millions of displaced people around the globe...

This became the priority.

That decision was already extraordinary.

The welcome bag makes it impossible to pretend this is merely humanitarian.

Because…humanitarian aid…doesn’t usually come with an ideological starter kit.

Imagine the reaction if another administration welcomed refugees by handing them government-approved literature praising progressive politics…criticizing conservative ideology…and encouraging them to see America through a particular partisan lens.

The outrage would dominate headlines for weeks.

Congressional committees would demand answers.

Pundits would call it taxpayer-funded indoctrination.

Yet according to the reporting…this administration appears comfortable doing something remarkably similar from the opposite direction.

Not by forcing beliefs.

By carefully introducing them.

By saying, in effect:

Here’s your new country.

Here’s the history we want you to believe.

Here’s who the heroes are.

Here’s who got America wrong.

The symbolism matters…because symbols reveal priorities.

This isn’t just about refugees.

It’s about identity.

Who belongs.

Who doesn’t.

Who deserves compassion.

Who deserves suspicion.

For years…the political right has warned that Democrats wanted to use immigration to reshape America politically.

The accusation became one of the defining conspiracy theories of modern politics…that immigration was secretly being used to replace one voting population with another.

There has never been credible evidence supporting that claim. Read that again.

Yet…what makes this story remarkable is that it presents something almost impossible to ignore.

A government openly selecting a uniquely favored immigrant population…while reportedly providing literature designed to reinforce a particular cultural and political worldview from the moment they arrive.

Whether intentional or not…the optics are impossible to separate from the politics.

This isn’t simply border policy.

It’s identity politics backed by immigration policy.

The message isn’t subtle.

America isn’t just choosing who comes here.

It’s signaling who counts.

And…perhaps that’s the most unsettling part of all.

Because every presidency leaves behind symbols.

Some become monuments.

Others become apologies.

This one may be remembered for a gift bag.

A small cardboard package quietly handed to new arrivals.

Inside is a flag.

A Constitution.

A tablet.

And, if the reporting is accurate…an invitation to see America through a very specific political lens before these new citizens have had the chance to discover it for themselves.

That’s what makes this story bigger than a welcome packet.

It’s a window into how power imagines the future.

Not simply who gets admitted.

But whose story gets told.

And…whose version of America gets placed in someone’s hands before they have written a single chapter of their own.

I’ll Leave You With This: Donald Trump, In His Own Words

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best... They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
— Presidential announcement speech, June 16, 2015.

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” (reported during an Oval Office meeting discussing immigration from Haiti and African nations.)

“Go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”
— Referring to four Democratic congresswomen, three of whom were born in the United States, July 2019.

“They’re poisoning the blood of our country.”
— Referring to undocumented immigrants during campaign speeches in 2023 and 2024.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black... So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
— National Association of Black Journalists interview discussing Kamala Harris, July 31, 2024.

“They’re eating the dogs... They’re eating the cats... They’re eating the pets.”
— Debate remarks falsely alleging Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets, September 2024.

“A judge who happens to be, we believe, Mexican...”
— Criticizing U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel while questioning whether he could fairly preside over Trump University litigation because of his Mexican heritage, 2016.

“Laziness is a trait in Blacks.”
— Quote attributed to Trump by former Trump Plaza president John O’Donnell in his 1991 book Trumped!; Trump denied making the statement.

“You have people that were very fine people on both sides.”
— Remarks following the 2017 Charlottesville rally that drew widespread criticism because one side included white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

“The Black population embraced my mug shot more than anybody.”
— Campaign speech, February 2024, comparing his criminal prosecution to historical discrimination against Black Americans.

“A well-educated Black has a tremendous advantage over a well-educated white in terms of the job market.”
— NBC interview with Bryant Gumbel, 1989.

“I’ve got Black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! ... I think that the guy’s lazy. And it’s probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in Blacks.”
— Attributed to Trump by former casino executive John O’Donnell in Trumped! (1991). Trump later denied making the remark, though he also told Playboy in 1997 that much of O’Donnell’s book was “probably true.”

“They don’t look like Indians to me.”
— Testifying before Congress in 1993 while questioning whether some Native Americans were legitimately members of tribes eligible to operate casinos.

“If I were starting off today, I would love to be a well-educated Black.”
— Continuing the same 1989 discussion, arguing that Black professionals had an advantage in hiring.

“He doesn’t have a birth certificate... There’s something on that birth certificate that he doesn’t like.”
— Trump repeatedly promoted false claims that Barack Obama was not born in the United States, a conspiracy that became known as “birtherism.”

“Pocahontas.”
— Trump’s repeated nickname for Senator Elizabeth Warren over many years, criticized by Native American groups as a racial slur and mockery of Indigenous identity.

“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district... rather than falsely complaining about the election results.”
— Trump attacked civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis after Lewis questioned Trump’s legitimacy following the 2016 election.

“You also have people that are very fine people, on both sides.”
— Remarks following the 2017 Charlottesville rally. Trump later separately said neo-Nazis and white nationalists “should be condemned totally,” but the “very fine people” comment has remained highly controversial.

“If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you?... I’ll pay the legal fees.”
— Campaign rally, 2016. While not a racial remark itself, critics noted it was delivered amid rhetoric targeting protesters and immigrant groups.

“Minnesota has seen a large influx of Somali refugees... I swore to the great people of Minnesota that I would stop this invasion.”
— Campaign rally in Minneapolis, 2019, referring to Somali immigration.

Additional Historical Context

Public debate about Donald Trump’s record on race extends beyond individual quotations. Historians…journalists…civil rights organizations…and political commentators have also pointed to a number of actions and episodes spanning several decades.

1973: Federal housing discrimination lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Trump Management, alleging that the company engaged in racial discrimination against Black rental applicants. The company denied wrongdoing…and the case was later settled without an admission of liability…with an agreement to implement changes to rental practices.

1989: Central Park Five advertisements

Following the assault of a jogger in Central Park…Trump paid for full-page newspaper advertisements calling for the return of the death penalty. Although the ads did not name the five teenagers who were arrested…they became closely associated with the case. After the men were exonerated years later through DNA evidence and another person’s confession…Trump continued to question their innocence.

2011–2016: Birtherism

Trump became the country’s most prominent promoter of the false claim that President Barack Obama had not been born in the United States…and was therefore ineligible to serve as president. Obama released his long-form birth certificate in 2011…yet…the conspiracy continued for years before Trump publicly acknowledged that Obama was born in the U.S.

2015–Present: Immigration rhetoric

Throughout his political career, Trump has repeatedly framed immigration in terms of crime…cultural change…and national identity. Supporters argue he is emphasizing border security and sovereignty; critics argue his language often paints broad groups in racial or ethnic terms. I believe his supporters are dead wrong. His critics…I feel…are spot on.

2017: Charlottesville response

After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides,” while also separately stating that neo-Nazis and white supremacists should be condemned. His remarks have remained the subject of continuing debate and criticism.

2017: Travel restrictions on several predominantly Muslim countries

The administration implemented travel restrictions affecting several countries with majority-Muslim populations.

2020: Diversity training executive order

The administration issued an executive order restricting certain diversity and anti-bias training programs within the federal government and among some federal contractors.

These episodes continue to be cited by both supporters and critics when evaluating Trump’s record. Some see them as evidence of a consistent pattern involving race and national identity; I am among them.

Closing Thoughts

Whether readers ultimately agree with the criticism or reject it, the reported welcome bags have become a focal point because they combine several themes that have recurred throughout Donald Trump’s public life: immigration…national identity…race, and competing narratives about American history.

Taken on their own, any one statement…policy…or controversy…might be interpreted in different ways.

Supporters often view them through the lens of border security, patriotism, or opposition to progressive politics. Personally, I think they’re high.

Critics see a broader pattern (as they should) in which questions of race and ethnicity repeatedly emerge as central themes.

The reported contents of these welcome bags matter…because they move beyond deciding who may enter the country. According to the reporting described earlier… they also communicate a particular understanding of America’s past and present from the moment refugees arrive.

That is why this story has attracted so much attention.

It is not simply about a welcome package or a refugee program. It raises broader questions…about how governments use symbols…educational materials…and immigration policy to express national priorities and shape civic identity.

Ultimately, the evidence presented throughout this article is public. Readers can examine the statements…the historical episodes…and the reported contents of the welcome bags for themselves and decide what conclusions they believe are warranted.

#HoldFast

Back soon.

-Jack

Jack Hopkins

P.S.

History rarely knocks.

It doesn’t always arrive with troops in the street…or a man shouting from a balcony.

Sometimes it arrives in something small.

Something that looks almost harmless.

A welcome bag.

A flag. A tablet. A few pamphlets quietly telling a brand-new arrival which version of America they’re expected to believe.

That’s the part worth sitting with.

Because the cruelty is almost never in the object.

It’s in the choice behind it.

Who gets the bag.

Who gets the ban.

Who gets compassion.

Who gets suspicion.

A government will tell you everything you need to know…not by what it says about itself…but by who it decides is worth welcoming.

This one just told us.

Paid subscribers go deeper with me on exactly this…the symbols, the signals, the quiet machinery of how power decides who “counts.” Because once you learn to read it…you can’t unsee it.

And a people who can read the signals…are a great deal harder to rule by fear.

#HoldFast

-Jack

Sources & Further Reading

The welcome bags (the reporting this piece is built on)

• A Look Inside the Welcome Bags Planned for White South African Refugees — The New York Times, June 23, 2026 (original reporting; tablet, flag, founding documents, 1776 Commission report, PragerU children’s book Lwazi’s Hard Lesson, HHS welcome letter).

• Corroboration / summary: Political Wire and The New Republic (both quote the Times directly).

• Background on the program itself (refugee cap, Executive Order 14204, “Mission South Africa”): Wikipedia: White South African refugee program.

• On prioritizing white South Africans while cutting overall refugee admissions: Axios.

“In His Own Words” — the quotes

• “Rapists” / criminals, 2015 campaign launch, and “eating the dogs… the cats… the pets,” Sept. 2024: NBC News, “From ‘rapists’ to ‘eating the pets’” (includes dated quotes).

• “Poisoning the blood of our country,” 2023–24: PBS NewsHour.

• Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black,” NABJ, July 31, 2024: CNN and NBC News.

• Judge Gonzalo Curiel “he’s a Mexican,” 2016: NPR, TIME, CNN.

• “Shithole countries,” 2018 (note: initially denied, later acknowledged in Dec. 2025): see PBS NewsHour and the catalogs below.

• “Go back” (four congresswomen, 2019), “very fine people” (Charlottesville, 2017), birtherism, “Pocahontas,” the John Lewis attacks, the 1989 Bryant Gumbel “well-educated Black” remarks, the 1993 “don’t look like Indians” testimony, and the O’Donnell Trumped! “laziness” quote are all documented in the two comprehensive catalogs below.

Historical episodes

• 1973 DOJ housing-discrimination suit; 1989 Central Park Five ads: PBS FRONTLINE, “President Trump” and Wikipedia: Racial views of Donald Trump.

• 2017 travel restrictions (Executive Order 13769): EBSCO Research Starters.

• 2020 diversity-training restrictions (Executive Order 13950) and birtherism (2011–16): documented in the catalogs below.

Comprehensive catalogs (umbrella references)

• PBS NewsHour, “What exactly Trump has said about race” — nearly 100 documented moments.

• Wikipedia: Racial views of Donald Trump (extensively footnoted to primary sources).

• AP via PBS, “Trump’s attacks on prosecutors echo long history of racist language”.