Over the past few weeks, many on the left have impugned President Donald Trump and his supporters as racist and bigoted, after Trump told a group of far-left congresswomen to “go back” to their home countries.
However, that label of bigotry has not been solely applied to Trump and his supporters. The racism charge has been leveled at moderate and liberal figures in recent years, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chief Justice John Roberts, former Vice President Joe Biden, and columnist George Will. Private citizens and pageant contestants have also faced the accusation if they have publicly expressed their political views, or just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Check out our full list below.
Nancy Pelosi: The speaker was accused by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of being “disrespectful” towards “newly elected women of color” in Congress, presumably referring to herself and other members of “the squad,” including fellow freshman Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. (RELATED: Will Nancy Pelosi Budge On Impeachment?)
Joe Biden: The former vice president was accused of racial insensitivity by fellow presidential candidate and California Sen. Kamala Harris during the first Democratic debate last month. Biden came under fire from the left for his 1970’s opposition to forced school busing, something opposed by 86% of the American public at the time. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Backtracks On Busing After Hammering Biden On The Issue)
Candace Owens: A black conservative activist, Owens has repeatedly been accused of enabling racism. The Root has called Owens “Racist white America‘s black friend” over her testimony at a House of Representatives hearing earlier this year on white nationalism. Following the hearing, Newsweek accused Owens of defending white nationalism.
Ben Shapiro: The conservative commentator has been repeatedly attacked online by white nationalists, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting that Shapiro was the top target of the racist alt-right group in 2016. Still, The Economist called referred to Shapiro as “the alt-right sage without the rage” in a profile earlier this year.
Jordan Peterson: A Canadian professor and popular lecturer, Peterson has been the subject of angry protests on college campuses across the country. Earlier this year, the University of Cambridge rescinded a visiting fellowship to Peterson following intense backlash from students and faculty. Peterson told the Daily Caller at the time that he believed the university was engaging in “cheap, political posturing.”
Miss Michigan: 20-year-old Kathy Zhu was stripped of her Miss Michigan title after allegedly violating the “good character” requirement of Miss World America. The organization cited a 2017 tweet from Zhu, where she asked “Did you know the majority of black deaths are caused by other blacks?” The Chinese-American former pageant contestant is a staunch Trump supporter, and has amassed a large social media following under the nickname “political Kathy.”
Chris Pratt: The popular actor and outspoken Christian was recently attacked by Yahoo News for wearing a Gadsden flag T-shirt, which the news outlet initially described as racist, before correcting its headline. The original headline was titled: “Chris Pratt Criticized for White Supremacist T-Shirt.”
Random Chipotle Employee: A Chipotle restaurant in St. Paul fired a manager after she refused to serve a group of African American men in a video that went viral last year. However, it was later discovered that the men had a history of “dining and dashing” and bragging about their actions on Twitter. The manager was later offered her job back.
