FROM HISTORICAL ORIGINS TO TRUMP'S FIRST TERM RACISM IN THE US: THE GEORGE FLOYD CASE

Abstract

This study aims to examine the historical development of racism in the United States and its contemporary manifestations through the lens of Donald Trump-era policies and the George Floyd case. The study first addresses concepts such as othering, xenophobia, and cultural racism within a theoretical framework; it then evaluates the history of racism in the United States from slavery to the present day using document analysis methods. The findings reveal that racism in the US is deep-rooted and institutionalized, having been legitimized for a long time through practices such as “separate but equal.” It has been determined that racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic rhetoric used during the Trump era, combined with policies such as travel bans and anti-immigrant regulations, deepened social polarization. In this process, immigrants, Muslims, and Black Americans were particularly marginalized, and discrimination was reproduced through public discourse. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer was seen as a current manifestation of systemic racism; the protests triggered by the incident became one of the largest civil rights movements in US history in recent decades. This situation not only reignited debates on police violence and racial inequality, but also highlighted the decisive role of political leadership's discourse and actions on social peace. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the phenomenon of racism in the United States is not limited to individual prejudices; it has a multi-layered structure with historical, institutional, and political dimensions.

Keywords: Racism, George Floyd, Donald Trump, USA, Xenophobia