Washington, DC: US president Donald Trump’s wild comments regarding a foreign journalist’s appearance during a press conference in the Oval Office has shocked people across the world.
The journalist happened to be an Indian and the comments were racial.
Trump was answering questions in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon when the Indian journalist began to speak. Shortly after Trump seemed to drift into another mid-day nap, the reporter inquired about his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but this did not capture the US president’s interest for very long.
“Are you from India, by any chance? Huh? I thought you were from Germany?” he stated with an unpleasant smile.
“I was only kidding,” Trump quickly added after the journalist verified his origin from India.
Persisting with the uncomfortable subject and not fully addressing th
e journalist’s inquiry, Trump commented, “You’re Central Casting. That’s a good thing.”
Centre Casting is a phrase used frequently by the US president. It means that a person embodies the conventional appearance linked to a specific role. In this instance, Trump implied that the journalist resembled either a standard Indian man or a typical Indian reporter, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Several social media users called out Trump for his remarks, with one saying: “Racism at best.”
“Another set of meaningless statements,” another said.
“Racist talk,” a third user commented.
“Elitist Trump behaving like Nazi Supermacist , he will be a bigger stupidity for the US,” a fourth critic chimed in.
“They have elected a joker as a president. It is understandable he makes such statements,” one more responded.
Trump had, in May, referenced the phrase while speaking about Chinese president Xi Jinping during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. He suggested that Xi embodied the typical image of a Chinese leader as one would expect to see on screen, stating: “If you went to Hollywood and looked for a leader of China to play a role in a movie, he’s Central Casting.”
Xi possessed the appearance and presence that people would link to such a role, the US president had remarked.
Trump has often employed this expression to characterize military officers, police officials, and politicians whose looks or demeanor he believes convey authority or are well-suited for television.