Posted on 30 July 2020
Race-baiting ABC correspondent Terry Moran was horrified on Thursday morning’s Good Morning America by the Trump administration repealing one of the Obama administration’s radical government overreach policies, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). Moran and anchor George Stephanopoulos parroted left-wing critics calling Trump’s move “racist” while boasting that the Obama-era regulation had “bridged inequality” and “helped low income minorities.”
Despite years of conservative criticism to the unfair housing rule which puts local governments and homeowners’ decisions into the hands of the federal government, Moran’s report included zero soundbites or comments from people who supported Trump’s decision.
In fact, George Stephanopoulos characterized the news as everyone agreeing with the left:
“We get to the fallout now from President Trump's decision to repeal a fair housing rule set by President Obama designed to address racial segregation in suburban housing,” he huffed, injecting racism into the discussion: “[C]ritics said his move was based on false premises and stoking racist fears.”
Moran also sounded more like a left-wing activist than a journalist. While claiming Trump was pandering to whites with “racist fears,” he proudly touted the alleged accomplishments of the Obama rule:
Looking to shore up shrinking support with the white voters he needs to recapture the White House, the president boasted about rolling back an Obama era fair housing rule, stirring racist fears. … The policy was aimed at encouraging communities to address the impact of decades long segregation and discrimination in America's neighborhoods tying federal funding to efforts to bridge inequality. President Trump targeting a regulation that overwhelmingly helped low income minorities.
Moran was so desperate to make this about racist Trump, that he even claimed that this was only going to make the violence surrounding George Floyd protests worse. After showing footage of a Black Lives Matter protest, Moran sneered, “In a year already fueled with racial tension and social unrest, [Trump] stoking the flames of that upheaval.”
ABC again tried to characterize this decision as Trump abolishing civil rights for minorities, in Moran's handoff to Robin Roberts:
"Alright Terry. On the heels of your report, we’re going to turn now to the final farewell to civil rights champion, John Lewis," she stated.
The question is, who is really stoking racial fears and tension here? The only one bringing up race in this story is ABC.
The AFFH has long been criticized by conservatives. Stanley Kurtz of the Ethics and Public Policy Center wrote for National Review, that the Obama rule “radically reinterprets the plain meaning of the [1968] Federal Housing Act,” which was designed to stop housing discrimination. Instead, the Obama era rule is “federal overreach on steroids” which “nullifies the very idea of legislative democracy.”
Notably, the media ignored the rule when it went into effect, only to now hype how awful Trump is for rescinding it.
Read the transcript below:
Good Morning America
7/30/2020
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We get to the fallout now from President Trump's decision to repeal a fair housing rule set by President Obama designed to address racial segregation in suburban housing. The president tweeted ‘suburbanites will no longer be bothered by low income housing’ as critics said his move was based on false premises and stoking racist fears. Terry Moran with the story.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: It's been hell for suburbia.
TERRY MORAN: Looking to shore up shrinking support with the white voters he needs to recapture the White House, the president boasted about rolling back an Obama era fair housing rule, stirring racist fears.
TRUMP: I abandoned and took away and just rescinded the rule. It's been going on for years. I've seen conflict for years. We rescinded the rule. Three days ago, so enjoy your life, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy your life.
MORAN: The policy was aimed at encouraging communities to address the impact of decades long segregation and discrimination in America's neighborhoods tying federal funding to efforts to bridge inequality. President Trump targeting a regulation that overwhelmingly helped low income minorities.
PROTESTERS: Black lives matter.
MORAN: In a year already fueled with racial tension and social unrest, stoking the flames of that upheaval tweeting from Air Force One: ‘I am happy to inform all of the people living their suburban lifestyle dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood. Your housing prices will go up based on the market and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama/Biden rule, enjoy.’ In 2016 Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the suburbs. It was one of the keys to his victory. This year the polls show him trailing Joe Biden badly there and this stuff seems to be one of the ways he plans and hopes to win the suburbs back. Robin.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Alright Terry. On the heels of your report, we’re going to turn now to the final farewell to civil rights champion, John Lewis.