Donald Trump has a long history of racist behavior. As a real estate developer he was repeatedly accused by the federal government of racial discrimination.

He publicly insisted that a group of falsely convicted African-American and Latino young men were guilty, even after they had been exonerated. He conducted a long campaign of false accusations about President Obama’s country of birth. He has repeatedly insulted Mexicans, Muslims, African-Americans, and other minority groups.

Most recently, Trump made vile and insulting comments about Central American and African countries during a meeting about immigration with a group of senators and representatives. His statements have been denounced around the world.

The South African ruling party called those statements “extremely offensive”; that country’s opposition party said they were “abhorrent”. A Kenyan entrepreneur told the Associated Press that Trump’s disparaging remarks were “the perfect definition of racism.” The Haitian ambassador to the United States said that he and his country “vehemently condemn” what the president said.

In the U.S., Trump’s remarks have been criticized by many congressional Democrats and a few Republicans. Unfortunately, most Republicans have either remained silent or issued very mild rebukes. Congressman Fred Upton described Trump’s vile and insulting statements as “inappropriate.” In his remarks at the Lake Michigan College Martin Luther King Day breakfast event, whose theme was “The Cost of Silence,” Upton referred to the “difficult events of the past week” but was silent on Trump’s racism.

Republicans like Fred Upton are enablers. By remaining silent or minimizing Trump’s racist behavior, they allow him to demean the presidency and endanger our democracy.

We the people need to speak out in opposition to Trump’s racism. In November we need to elect representatives who will join us in this effort.

Larry Feldman

Lakeside