Because nothing says “lower grocery bills” like describing countries including Somalia, Haiti, and Afghanistan with slurs.
We’re told the new policy is a “permanent pause” on migration from “Third World” “hellholes.” That’s not an economics plan; that’s a slogan with a bullhorn. Meanwhile, U.S. Africa Command is still coordinating strikes and security assistance with (checks notes) Somali counterparts. If Somalia is irredeemably “filthy, dirty, disgusting,” why does the Pentagon keep asking them to help us kill terrorists? Because reality beats riffs.
This isn’t about thin skins. It’s about dumb strategy. In 2018, the last time this script ran, African governments formally protested and the African Union publicly condemned it. Our diplomats had to spend months mopping up. Doing it again (on purpose) during a speech ostensibly about lowering prices is the governing equivalent of lighting your curtains to prove you hate smoke detectors.
The “filthy, dirty, disgusting” line? Tell that to the U.S. citizens of Somali heritage who pay taxes, open businesses, serve in the military, teach your kids, and yes, vote. (If your grand strategy is “tell American voters they come from filth,” be sure to workshop that with someone who’s seen a ballot.)
Here’s the adult part: immigration restrictions need legal authority and a defensible rationale, not country-wide name-calling. Security policy is built on coalition maintenance, not public humiliation of partners. Economic policy addresses supply chains, competition, wages, and fees, not geography slurs. Any White House that confuses those categories shouldn’t be surprised when allies hedge, courts bristle, and prices ignore the teleprompter.
EDW’s bottom line: If your “affordability” pitch requires degrading allies, you don’t have a plan; you have a scapegoat. And scapegoats are terrible at paying people’s bills.
Executive Dysfunction Weekly
EDW•
