Donald Trump Torched Over ‘Gone With The Wind' Lament: ‘The Doggiest Dogwhistle'
President Donald Trump reminisced about the 1939 movie “Gone With The Wind” during his rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday and faced an immediate backlash on social media.
Trump asked to bring “back” the film — heavily criticized for its racist language, demeaning stereotypes of Black characters and its romanticization of slavery before the Civil War ― as he railed against the awarding of the Oscar for Best Picture to South Korean movie “Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon Ho.
“I’m looking for like … let’s get ‘Gone with the Wind,’ can we get ‘Gone with the Wind’ back, please?” asked Trump. “‘Sunset Boulevard.’ So many great movies,” he continued. “The winner from South Korea, I thought it was best foreign film. Best foreign movie. No … did this ever happen before?”
Charlotte Clymer, of the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, described Trump “openly pining” for the film starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh as “the doggiest dogwhistle that ever dogwhistled.”
Max Boot, a conservative columnist for The Washington Post, noted how Trump “talks far more harshly about South Korea than North Korea” and said the president’s love for the “pro-Confederate” film was “very telling.”
I’m sorry but this is SENDING me. The racist audience cheered for “what happened to Gone With the Wind” but then was quiet for “Sunset Blvd.” Too gay for us!!!!!! https://t.co/uVSF7eXN7h
— Ira Madison III (@ira) February 21, 2020
Trump literally just asked, "Can we get like 'Gone With The Wind' back please?" That's really saying the quiet part out loud isn't it.
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) February 21, 2020
Trump openly pining for "Gone with the Wind" is the doggiest dogwhistle that ever dogwhistled.
— Charlotte Clymer ️ (@cmclymer) February 21, 2020