n the campaign trail last week in Minnesota, Donald Trump reached into his well-worn bag of divisive tricks and pulled out a piece of rehashed eugenics in the guise of a compliment:
You have good genes, you know that, right? You have good genes. A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it, don't you believe? The racehorse theory. You think we’re so different? You have good genes in Minnesota.
This was not a one-off rant, but the latest in a string of pronouncements that echo the eugenics playbook. Back at a 2016 rally, Trump mused:
I always said that winning is somewhat, maybe, innate. Maybe it’s just something you have; you have the winning gene. Frankly it would be wonderful if you could develop it, but I’m not so sure you can. You know I’m proud to have that German blood, there’s no question about it. Great stuff.
Why should we care that Trump repeatedly holds forth with such absurdities? It should surprise no one that Trump’s genetic musings have no basis in scientific fact, and a long heritage in racism.
Trump’s recent statements matter because like his inaccurate claims about immigrants’ criminality and about herd immunity as a good approach to the Covid-19 epidemic, these statements are part of a broader conceptual architecture. They resonate deeply with the eugenic belief that some people and groups are “fit,” while others are “unfit” – unworthy of being included, of having children, of living.