Life After Trump: When the Campaign Ends, What Have We Accomplished?

There’s no denying Donald Trump has had a great ride—he’s gotten all the attention he’s ever wanted, and he’s clearly been enjoying himself.

Plus he’s been a gift to the Democratic Party and progressive movement, too: His vile, racist comments have put the spotlight on Republicans’ backwards immigration policies and angered millions of the sporadic voters we need to turn out next year.

Recognizing an easy press opportunity, even Mayor Bill de Blasio got in on the game, boldly declaring he was keeping Trump’s city contracts untouched, but that he’s “certainly not looking to do any business with him going forward.” Let’s hope the next few mayors of New York City also feel that way.

Here in blue-state New York, Trump’s an easy target. Compared with Uber, or Gov. Andrew Cuomo, there’s not much risk in calling him out. And even private companies like Univision earned praise for divesting from the Donald.

But when his inevitably doomed campaign crashes and burns, what has the progressive movement actually accomplished? Are we looking to make noise or build lasting change?

So let’s put the expanding boycott against Trump’s business to some real use.

From his elite golf course in the Bronx, which sits beside some of the poorest NYCHA tenants in the city, to his real estate ventures in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Florida and other cities, Trump has benefitted from hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-subsidized corporate welfare.

With local governments across the country under pressure to divest from Trump, and companies from Macy’s to NASCAR cutting ties with him, there’s potentially billions of dollars of business up for grabs.

What too many in the progressive movement have missed is that where that money goes next is just as important as who has it now.

Want a little poetic justice? Let’s turn the Trump economic backlash into the largest minority- and women-owned business stimulus our country has ever seen. Instead of praising companies like Macy’s (which Trump happily noted has made racial discrimination payouts as recently as 2014) for taking an easy step out of self-interest, let’s keep the pressure up until their replacement vendors are MWBEs. And let’s lobby the federal, state and local governments that have bestowed tax breaks, public subsidies, low-interest loans and other concessions to the Trump Organization to shift their resources toward empowering people of color in their own communities.

After all, there’s no better way to debunk Trump’s ridiculous claim that Mexican immigrants are a bunch of “rapists” than empowering immigrant communities with the financial tools to succeed.

So when the city’s contract with the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point expires, let’s make history by holding the state’s first PGA tournament at a minority-owned golf course. And since there’s a dress code, remember to pick up some new formal wear from an MWBE designer at Macy’s before you go.

Donald Trump might be an unabashed racist, but he’s always prided himself on being a businessman first. Even Trump would recognize my plan as a better deal for communities of color than the feel-good, but ultimately pointless, firestorm our side has encouraged. 

Bertha Lewis is president of The Black Institute.