I’ve always had a fascination with architectural models. This interest rose in recent months, following a move to a new apartment block. I love my new place, but it has its problems. There are over-sized windows that capture too much heat, coupled wi…
(Photo: flickr/US Department of Agriculture)
By Divya Kumar
I facilitate a weekly new parents support group in my Boston neighborhood. We chat about challenges surrounding the transition to parenthood, including sleeping, feeding our babies, and the choices we make as parents.
One day, during one mom’s turn to check in, what started out sounding like a standard set of questions about daycare ended up taking a different turn. This mom had found a family daycare down the street from her home, and she described the provider as a kind and loving woman with years of experience with babies and children. She then paused in hesitation before continuing, “I don’t know if I should even be worried about this, but…my daughter will be the only white baby at the daycare. I don’t know how that will be for her and if I should be concerned about it?”
Her question immediately triggered years of memories, and I felt my face burn. I am a woman of color, a child of Indian immigrants. I grew up in a white Connecticut suburb and was often the only person of color in a room at any given time. As a child, I often fielded questions such as, “What are you?” and “Are you black or white?”
At the time, I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe those comments, but now I can name them as microaggressions* the “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” For many people of color, microaggressions can feel like death-by-a-thousand-cuts since they happen so quickly, casually, and frequently. Moreover, since microaggressions often fly under the “real racism” radar, many white folks may not notice these slights or may dismiss concerns that folks of color raise about microaggressions. How many times have we heard, “Oh, she didn’t mean it like that”? And how many times will we have to explain that intent and impact are not the same?
Back in the parents group, I was reminded that racism can rear its ugly head at any moment, even in my progressive neighborhood. Quickly scanning the room, I noted two other women of color present, and I realized that I needed to let them know that they were safe at this group and that I would speak up on their–and my own–behalf.
However earnest and benign the intent, the new mom’s question underscored her white privilege and the comfort and power that comes with it. Not only was her question potentially insulting to folks of color, but the fact that she felt that it was appropriate highlighted her lack of awareness about her privilege and the impact her words could have on the other women present. Her remarks implied an assumption that this public space was for her, and that her point of view was everyone else’s point of view–without any information about the other moms present. In contrast, people of color don’t have that privilege, and in “mainstream” spaces, they cannot assume that the space is theirs and that white people share their viewpoint.
Becoming a new mom is an intensely vulnerable time. We are exhausted, figuring out a crazy learning curve, and dealing with the responsibility of taking care of a teeny person who’s completely dependent on us. As new parents, we often come to a new moms group to find a place where we feel like we belong and like we are not alone.
For white women, a moms group can be another place where they never have to think about race or directly address it. Yes, white women can choose to speak up in response to racism and microaggressions, and they risk alienating their peers if they do so–but they can also choose to say nothing at no cost to them.
Not having to think about race is a luxury that women of color do not have. We moms of color often walk into a new moms group knowing that we may be the only person of color in the room, and if we see another woman of color, we may be pleasantly surprised and relieved. White women, though, can and will assume that they will not be the only white woman present. While we all can assume some common ground with the other moms present, since we live in the same neighborhood and have the resources to attend a new moms group, we moms of color take a risk when we enter a room full of strangers, since we have no idea if and when racism will appear.
For women of color, the vulnerability of being a new mom is compounded with the vulnerability to racism and microaggressions, and that is again compounded with never knowing if anyone will speak up for us or understand our viewpoint. Our vulnerabilities are synergistic: on top of the stresses of being sleep-deprived, recovering from childbirth, and caring for a colicky, screaming baby, moms of color can’t always feel safe in the supposed safe space of the parenting group.
Regardless of whether we women of color respond to a racist comment or stay silent, our safety and sense of belonging is compromised. We are in a bind: we have to choose between disturbing the peace of the group by advocating for what’s right, or just silently absorbing hurtful remarks and not rocking the boat. Choosing to call out racism carries a greater risk for women of color because we can never guarantee that anyone else shares our point of view. And when we do call out racism, we often hear invalidating responses like, “you’re being so sensitive” and “this isn’t about race.”
The fallout is that many moms of color then stop attending that new moms group. The cycle of silence among communities of color continues. Consequently, the loss is two-fold: first, moms of color lose the connection to a mama village and support system during a time of need. Second, since we moms of color are no longer physically visible in that new moms’ space, white women’s reality and vantage points are the only ones present, heard, and perceived as real.
So, upon hearing that mom’s comment, I knew I had an obligation to the other women of color there that day, and I couldn’t just let the comment go. But what if no one came back to my group? What if I was written off as an “angry brown lady”? What if the women present told all the other new moms in my community that I was rude, unwelcoming, and dismissive of valid concerns? What if they told everyone that they just wanted a place to meet other new moms and I had to go and ruin it by talking about racism and white privilege?
I responded, “Putting our babies in childcare can be very stressful and full of unknowns. But it sounds like you feel comfortable with this daycare provider and that you like the place. I also wanted to add that as a woman of color, I am frequently the only person of color in any room, and to not have to experience that is a luxury. It can be helpful to keep privilege in mind as we think through our concerns.”
The woman who made the daycare comment never returned to my group. Neither did one of the women of color who was there that day. But nearly everyone else did. Weeks later, I ran into one of the moms who was there that day, and I asked her if she felt I had been out of line with my response. Thankfully, she said, “No way. You said what needed to be said. You made the rest of us feel safe, and you set a tone for what’s OK and what’s not OK. It’s one of the reasons I’ll keep coming back. Thank you.”
(*Derald Wing Sue, “Microaggressions: More than Just Race,” Psychology Today, November 17, 2010. The term microaggression took hold in recent years after Columbia professor Derald Sue et al. used it in a 2008 paper, “Racial Microaggressions Against Black Americans: Implications for Counseling.” They borrowed the term from Harvard psychologist Chester Pierce, who coined the term in the 1970s.)
Divya Kumar survived growing up brown in Connecticut, tried to be a rock star, went to public health school, and carved a meandering career path to what she thinks are the best jobs in the world: running support groups for new parents and providing comprehensive perinatal support at a community health center as part of a state-funded postpartum depression prevention initiative that she helped create. Irreverent and full of love, she brings a fresh voice, honesty, and humor to the madness of parenthood. A writer and an “in-person person”, she creates community and brings people together with her relentless ability to tell it like it is. She lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband and two kids.
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This post originally appeared on National Geographic.
In the fossil-rich region of South Africa known as the Cradle of Humankind, scientists have discovered the earliest known case of one of the world’s most deadly diseases.
Using 3-D imaging, the researchers have diagnosed an aggressive type of cancer called osteosarcoma in a foot bone belonging to a human relative who died in Swartkrans Cave between 1.6 and 1.8 million years ago.
The discovery—which has just been published in the South African Journal of Science—suggests that, while modern lifestyles have increased the incidences of cancer, especially in industrialized countries, the triggers for the disease are embedded deep within the human evolutionary past.
“You can opt for the paleo diet, you can have as clean a living environment as you want, but the capacity for these diseases is ancient, and it’s within us regardless of what you do to yourselves,” says study co-author Edward Odes of the University of the Witwatersrand.
The precise origins of cancer have been a source of debate due, in part, to the scarcity of historical evidence. Possibly the earliest reference to the disease is attributed to the great Egyptian physician Imhotep, who lived around 2600 B.C. In his writings, Imhotep describes an affliction characterized by a “bulging mass in the breast” that was resistant to any known therapies.
But most ancient texts had little to offer on the malady, and anatomically accurate descriptions of malignant tumors didn’t appear until the late 18th century.
The likely reason that cancer is a relative newcomer in the historical record is that it most commonly afflicts those 65 and older, and for a long time, few people lived long enough for cancer to become a concern.
“Civilization did not cause cancer,” writes oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee in his book, The Emperor of All Maladies, “but by extending human life spans, civilization unveiled it.”
Evidence for cancer has also been elusive in the fossil record, which preserves only a miniscule fraction of the bones of individuals who lived at any given time. Some researchers have sought answers in mummified bodies, where they could study preserved soft tissue.
In 1990, for instance, autopsies performed on thousand-year-old mummies in Peru revealed at least one case of a woman in her mid-30s with a malignant tumor in her upper-left arm. The mass had grown so large that it likely burst through her skin while she was still alive.
The practice of mummification only goes back a few thousand years, while the fossil record goes back millions. Now, Odes and his colleagues are highly confident that the hominin bone found at the Swartkrans site near Johannesburg holds the oldest known case of malignant cancer.
Using a method called micro-CT imaging, the research team studied detailed 2-D and 3-D images of the fossil’s interior. Images recorded the density differences within the bone and generated views of the fragment from all directions.
The abnormal growth pattern of bone tissue—including a distinctive, cauliflower-like external appearance—led the team to diagnose the condition as osteosarcoma, which today afflicts mostly children and young adults.
“We compared the images,” says Odes, referring to the fossil and a modern biopsy specimen. “It was bingo.”
The fossil, a fragment of a toe bone from the left foot, is the only part of the skeleton that was found. It preserved too little information to determine which hominin species it belonged to, whether it was an adult or a child, or even if the cancer was the ultimate cause of death.
One thing the scientists do know: It would have been extremely painful, affecting the individual’s ability to walk or run.
In addition to the toe with the malignant growth, the team analyzed another, even older fossil with a tumor, albeit a benign one.
In another study in the same journal, the team describes a growth in a vertebrae from a 1.98-million-year-old juvenile skeleton of Australopithecus sediba, discovered by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Lee Berger at a site called Malapa, a few miles from Swartkrans. Prior to this discovery, the oldest known benign growth was in the 120,000-year-old rib of a Neanderthal, excavated in Croatia.
The scientists see the benign tumor found at Malapa as further supporting evidence for the existence of malignant cancer among our early relations.
“A tumor is new growth of bone or tissue, where you have a sliding scale from benign to malignant,” says paleoanthropologist Patrick S. Randolph-Quinney, one of the investigating scientists.
“On the benign side, there are mechanisms that keep these tumors in check, so they are self-limiting, or they reach a certain size and they basically stay there. Whereas cancer is the extension of that growth process without the control mechanisms.”
The team also sees their findings as an important reminder that cancer is a moving target. Our ancient lineage endowed us with genes that contain the capacity for cancer, but the disease manifests itself in myriad ways when we are exposed to changes in our environment.
For instance, stomach cancer was more prevalent until the late 19th century, possibly because of carcinogens that had been in food preservatives. Today, colon cancer is on the rise, likely because of diets high in saturated fats.
“The modern external environment is doing things to our historical internal environment that we’ve never encountered before in our evolutionary history,” says Odes.
Follow Mark Strauss on Twitter.
More from National Geographic:
A Rocky Path Toward Maine’s New National Monument
One Of The World’s Biggest Fisheries Is On The Verge of Collapse
Go Way Back to School With These Vintage Photos
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What are some challenges that new VCs face and how can they overcome them? originally appeared on Quora – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Adam Enbar, Co-Founder & CEO, Flatiron School, on Quora:
In my experience as a venture capitalist, the hardest thing is to constantly say “no” to entrepreneurs. For a million varied reasons, you have to say “no” to 99 out of 100 investments you come across, and it feels terrible every single time.
As a VC you’re speaking to entrepreneurs who are putting everything on the line, who wholeheartedly believe in their businesses and ideas, and you want to support them–it’s why you got into VC in the first place. It’s extremely difficult to say to such a passionate person that their idea isn’t big enough or that you don’t believe in their strategy, team, and so on.
I’d name two main reasons why saying “no” is especially hard for VCs.
Ego
It’s no secret that VC’s have egos. Especially when you’re starting out, this little bit of ego makes you think that if you turn down an entrepreneur’s idea, it will crush him or her. If you’re feeling this way, you have to get over yourself. It’s not about you. Entrepreneurs aren’t interested in your feelings and they’re not interested in avoiding awkward conversations. They just need you to be honest and up-front so they can move on and not waste their time. As a VC, it’s way easier to give a “maybe”–to say “show us more data,” “I’ll run it by my partners,” and so on. Giving that firm “no” is hard, whether it’s your ego coming into play, or just that you really want to believe. But you have to be able to have those conversations. Any good entrepreneur would rather have a “no” than a “maybe.”
Even today, years after I left VC to start Flatiron School, when I think back to the entrepreneurs I continue to have the best relationships with, it’s the people to whom I quickly and respectfully said, “This isn’t right for us; here’s why; I’d love to keep in touch and see if I can be helpful in the future, but we’re not moving forward with this.”
A VC’s job is to say “What if?”
At a higher level, it’s difficult to say “no” because, in truth, your job as a VC is to say “what if”–to look for the reasons something can work, not why it can’t. You get into the business to find the biggest innovations, the craziest ideas, and that can only happen when you suspend your disbelief, throw the rules out the window, and say “what if they can pull this off? What would the world look like?” Every day, you’re looking at shells of ideas, and you have to imagine how they will develop and believe that they could become giant, world-changing companies.
Finding that balance between the mindsets of “no” and “what if?” is incredibly hard. If your default mode is “no,” you’re going to miss out on some of the most exciting innovations because you’re resigned to thinking they’ll never pull them off. But if you’re too far on the “what if?” end of the spectrum, you’re going to waste a lot of time and potentially make bad investments. I don’t think there’s an easy answer for how to overcome that challenge aside from being aware that it’s there and learning how to strike the balance as you go.
This question originally appeared on Quora. – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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You don’t have to run through a wall at King’s Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. For one weekend in October, you can hop on at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.
From October 21-22, the town of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania will transform into the magical village of Hogsmeade for its annual Harry Potter Festival. In the words of SNL’s Stefon, this festival has everything.
Festival-goers can be sorted by the Sorting Hat, practice their spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and cheer on their house at the “Brotherly Love Cup” Quidditch tournament. Chestnut Hill College will be hosting a Harry Potter conference, which seems fitting, given that their campus looks like a modern-day Hogwarts.
The town of Chestnut Hill is shutting down traffic to a six-block area where festival-goers can visit the shops of Hogsmeade and participate in a butterbeer pub crawl.
To get to the festival, hop aboard the Chestnut Hill East or Chestnut Hill West “Hogwarts Express” trains. Although the trains will have a distinctly SEPTA feel to them, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Dumbledore look-alikes will be on board to greet you and escort you to the festival.
Admission to the street fair and quidditch tournament is free. The academic conference is also open to the public, although a $10 registration fee is required. Tickets for the pub crawl go on sale on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 10am, so mark your calendars!
Dust off your cloaks, hats and broomsticks and give that Halloween costume a trial run this October.
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The dude who captured our hearts with a hunky cowboy photoshoot is back and sexier than ever.
Josh Varozza looks mighty fine in his most recent dudeoir photoshoot ― and this time it’s ocean-themed. Varozza, who’s a bail bondsman, is showing a little skin in the shoot as a mermaid and a lifeguard.
Photographer Tami Bears told The Huffington Post that she and Varozza had so much fun creating the first dudeoir photoshoot that they wanted to do it again. Bears and Varozza are also creating a calendar “per crowd demand,” Bears said.
“All proceeds go to our local veterans group Wheelers for the Wounded of CA. It’s an amazing local group supporting veterans and our love for
our beautiful area we live in,” Bears, a northern California native, said.
Bears also hopes to bring a little laughter to people as the summer winds down: “It’s tough transitioning back to school and with summer ending we hoped we could really make folks laugh again just when they feared it was over!!”
Scroll below the see Varozza in all his hunky glory.
Head here to see more of Bears’ work or here to buy the dudeoir calendar.
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One major reason why Xiaomi has become so popular quickly is that it has released competitors of almost every major product on the market. It offers respectable specifications at very competitive prices. It started off with smartphones and now does wearable devices, smart connected devices, notebooks, and even vacuum cleaners. The company today announced its Roomba rival – the Mi Robot Vacuum – and just like its other products it costs a fraction of what you would pay for a Roomba.
Xiaomi would like you to know that the Mi Robot Vacuum is actually more powerful than the Roomba 980. It has a high suction rating of 1,800 Pa against the Roomba’s 1,670 Pa.
The design itself isn’t any different from similar products. There are two circular side brushes at the bottom which sweep dirt into the main brush. It’s capable of automatically adjusting its height for a tighter seal with the floor in order to boost suction.
The Mi Robot Vacuum moves around with the help of two main rubber wheels and an assistive wheel. It features ultrasonic radar sensors, collision sensors, cliff and drop sensors as well as wall sensors to navigate its surroundings.
It features a 5,200mAh battery that is good for vacuuming 250 square meters of space, the machine needs about 2.5 hours to get that done. Once the task is finished it will go back to its charging dock.
Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum goes on sale in China starting September 6th for 1,699 or roughly $250. That’s a bargain when you consider the fact that the Roomba costs $900.
Xiaomi’s Roomba Rival Is Very Affordable , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Originally, artist Kim Schoenstadt wanted to reach out to fellow women artists in her community for what she jokingly described as selfish purposes. “I’m trying to be more present in the art world,” she told The Huffington Post. “I have a family, my mother was sick, I dropped out for a while. I wanted to see my community again.”
Spoiler alert: “They showed up.”
On Sunday morning, women artists gathered at downtown Los Angeles gallery Hauser Wirth & Schimmel to meet, connect, and reconnect. To support one another and assert their presence in an art world that too often treats women as less than. And of course, to take a big group portrait. Schoenstadt dubbed the happening “Now Be Here.”
The project was, in part, inspired by a tour of Hauser Wirth & Schimmel’s current exhibition “Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947–2016.” Schoenstadt was struck by a comment made by curator and feminist scholar Jenni Sorkin. “She said that for every artist in the show, there were many more that they could have chosen,” Schoenstadt said. “I thought, well, let’s all get together. There are a million reasons why artists are not included in group shows. Sometimes it has to do with the work itself, and sometimes is doesn’t.”
She started with an email, which she sent to artists she knew and liked. Then she reached out to local galleries, asking them to invite the women-identified artists on their rosters, and then to curators.
Schoenstadt tried not to use social media to spread the word. “It was an artist inviting other artists. That, I think, was more powerful.” She preferred to have the project go viral the old-school way, which she described as a “good old-fashioned chain letter.”
A whopping 877 artists RSVP’d to the event. Schoenstadt expected about half to actually show up; it was a Sunday morning after all. She was shocked and moved when 733 women made it to the event, including Catherine Opie, Helen Pashgian, and Betye Saar, who is 90 years old.
“Betye thought she was the oldest one but she wasn’t!” Schoenstadt said. “Kim Abeles brought her mother, also an artist, who is 96 years old.” Her name is Fran “Schatzie” Hoffman, and she sounds incredible. “She lives alone in Little Tokyo and continues to paint.”
It was incredibly special, Schoenstadt said, to watch a community of creative women blossom before her eyes ― artist mothers with their artist daughters, teachers reuniting with their students, artists approaching each other for the first time as fellow admirers and fans. “They came to the party,” she said. “I’m humbled.”
The gathering ended with a massive group portrait, with each woman holding up a number, all the way from 1 to 733. No single face stands out. “I didn’t organize this to be about me. I organized this to be about us,” Schoenstadt said. “All the female artists in LA. There they are, look at them.”
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It is easy to get depressed about a lack of leadership in America today. However, there are still impactful, caring and successful leaders out there working to make our nation a better place. One of the true heroes is Governor Jack Markell of Delaware. He is a tireless public servant who has shown incredible leadership as an ally of the disability community. He has worked hard to expand opportunities for more people with disabilities to pursue the American Dream — and it’s working!
Governor Jack Markell speaking on Capitol Hill
Governor Markell was elected in 2008 with 67% of the vote and re-elected in 2012 with 69% of the vote. He is term-limited and thus, sadly, will complete his time as Governor in January 2017. During his tenure, Delaware has gone “from one of the lowest-ranking states (in terms of job creation) in 2008 and 2009 to one of the top-ranking in 2013 and 2014. Delaware holds the distinction of being the only state anywhere along the Eastern seaboard to be in the top 10.”
Most important of all, Markell has succeeded in starting a movement for a more inclusive and successful economy for the one-in-five Americans who has a disability. In an era where the haves and have nots have increasingly become divided, he has helped create a rising tide for all ships -especially for the 22 million working age Americans who have a disability, only one-in-three of whom currently have a job.
In 2012, Markell became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA). As the chair of the NGA, he chose as the critical issue of increasing employment among individuals with disabilities. As he wrote at the time, “The bottom line is that there are so many people with disabilities who have the time, talent and desire to make meaningful contributions to interested employers.” The results of the NGA’s Better Bottom Line initiative can be seen across the country.
As a result of Markell’s leadership, not only has Delaware made progress, diverse states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have also made investments in school to work transition programs for young people with intellectual and development disabilities. Other states like Mississippi and Arkansas have adopted Employment First policies. Above all, he has helped to develop a body of knowledge that is truly moving the needle on jobs for people with disabilities.
That work continues now with Governor Markell having been selected as the President for the Council of State Governments (CSG) in January 2016. At CSG, he is overseeing a new National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities This effort will continue to build on Markell’s legacy as a true champion and faithful ally of the disability community.
Many politicians talk the talk. Markell is different – he walks the walk. For decades, there was no improvement in the labor force participation rates among people with disabilities. When you look at census data, you see that only 1 in 3 working age Americans with disabilities have a job now, and frankly, that was the case 26 years ago before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. There was a lot of progress on many fronts for people with disabilities. However, even as women, African Americans and Hispanics have entered the workforce in increasing numbers, the gap in the labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities expanded.
That is until year. For the first time in decades, we are seeing improvement in the employment data for people with disabilities. A huge part of that is because of Gov. Markell. As he recently pointed out: “the fact is so many people with disabilities across the country can add extraordinary value and when we focus on the ability rather than the disability, it’s amazing what we can accomplish together.”
Markell often tells the story of his visit with then Walgreens CEO, Greg Wasson, who had invited the CEO’s of many large companies to listen to what Walgreens was doing in the area for employment for people with disabilities. Said Markell, “what Greg said to these other CEOs is that Walgreens employs people with disabilities not as a matter of charity. We do it because it’s in the best interest of our shareholders. Because these employees are incredibly hardworking, they’re so grateful to have their job, they’re less likely to be absent, the turnover is lower and they do a phenomenal job.” Markell went on to explain, “the key cannot be about government officials asking an employer to do a favor. It’s about employers talking to other employers about why their company is better thanks to the fact that they provide these employment opportunities.”
RespectAbility board members Doc Sweitzer, Donna Meltzer and Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi present award to Gov. Jack Markell.
Markell also wanted to be sure to take real action. “I also knew that we as governments had to step up, we had to walk the walk. It’s not enough for me to go out and talk about this as an important issue. We need to talk about the fact that we as governments are providing these opportunities to people with disabilities and we are better off as a result. We’ve also found one of the most important things we can do is do a better job for young people. We have to make sure that when it comes to our young people who are still in school with disabilities prepare them for a lifetime for an expectation of a lifetime of employment.”
Gov. Markell has surrounded himself with state leaders such as Sec. Rita Landgraf who are also walking the walk. Together, they are revamped their talent acquisition process and as a result they were able to hire more talented people with disabilities. Every day they work to ensure that their constituents in Delaware are serve by a state government staff composed of a talented and inclusive team.
In an era where voters are frustrated with many of our leaders, it is wonderful to know that people like Gov. Jack Markell exist. Recently RespectAbility gave Gov. Markell a much deserved award. You can see his full speech on CSPAN.
Many people would like to see him in a senior role in the Cabinet of the next Administration. Whether he stays in public service or goes back into the private sector, the disability community has no greater friend than Jack Markell.
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Former Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday harshly criticized current President Enrique Peña Nieto for inviting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to meet with him south of the border, just hours before he is due to give a widely anticipated speech on immigration in Arizona.
“He is not welcome to Mexico,” Fox said in an interview on CNN. “By 130 million people, we don’t like him, we don’t want him. We reject his message.”
Trump tweeted Tuesday that he had accepted an invitation to meet Pena Nieto in private. An invitation had also been extended to his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, but the former secretary of state’s campaign said she was looking forward to speaking with him at the “appropriate time.”
Trump has spent more than a year railing against Mexico and its leaders, promising the country would pay for the construction of a wall on the border it shares with the U.S., as well as fear-mongering about “rapists” and drug dealers that are coming across it.
The surprise meeting abroad with a foreign leader will be Trump’s first as a presidential nominee, and is not without risks to his candidacy. Mitt Romney’s trip to Israel during the 2012 presidential campaign, for example, did not go over well. Peña Nieto’s approval rating fell to a record low earlier this year amid several corruption scandals. He, too, may seize on the meeting as an opportunity to bolster his image with Mexicans.
In his interview on CNN, Fox warned Peña Nieto would be viewed like “a traitor” if he does not stand up to the GOP nominee.
“Trump is using Mexico, using President Peña to boost his sinking poll numbers,” Fox said. “I think the President Peña is taking an enormous political risk by hosting Trump. If he’s gone soft on Trump, it will hurt him greatly. He will even be considered like a traitor because we don’t accept to be offended like we just heard, and it should not happen. He comes here with a smile on his face. I think this is a big mistake on part of President Peña.”
“It’s a very opportunistic move and I hope U.S. public opinion, U.S. citizens can see this and finally, and finally see what is behind Trump, this false prophet that is just cheating everybody,” he added. “It’s a desperate move and I don’t see how it can work at all.”
Earlier this year, Fox railed against Trump in an expletive-laden outburst, promising that Mexico would “never pay for that fucking wall.” He later apologized, and even invited Trump “to come to Mexico and to learn about the real Mexico.”
Trump noted so helpfully in a tweet Wednesday morning.
Fox tweeted his own recollection in response:
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
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