Thanks to Omarosa Manigault-Newman, longstanding rumors of a recording of the president using the n-word are again circulating. The current controversy has sparked an interesting debate on Twitter about whether, if such a tape did exist and was made public, it would have any effect on public opinion.
Some are doubtful:
There is not a person who is still a Trump supporter at this point whose view of him would change upon seeing/hearing recordings of Trump using the n-word or saying anything else horrific.
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) August 14, 2018
They KNOW who he is.
The best of them don’t care. The worst of them think like he does. pic.twitter.com/PLX2nx9XY0
The optimism of people who believe that a recording of Trump saying the n-word will be the thing that brings this entire nightmare train to a screeching halt is really wild
— andi zeisler (@andizeisler) August 14, 2018
White media obsesses over the n-word like a magic talisman as if calling for the state execution of innocent young men isn’t enough proof of Trump’s racism. Why do they talk about a tape instead of documented attacks on the Central Park 5? Because they can monetize a tape.
— Anil Dash (@anildash) August 14, 2018
Some analysts argue that such a tape would change minds, given the potency of using that particular slur:
Perhaps I’m naive but my guess is a lot of Americans have a pretty naive and narrow view of what “racism” amounts to and video of Trump using taboo slurs would in fact change some minds about him.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) August 14, 2018
i think the savvy take on whether or not the trump tape would "matter" vastly underestimates how many normies literally define racism by whether or not someone uses the n-word
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) August 14, 2018
Ultimately, those who are skeptical that the tape would make much of a difference have the better argument. After all, there is already ample evidence of Trump’s racism, going back decades. Anyone who still supports Trump either doesn’t mind that racism or shares it. Further, the fact that Trump still managed to get 63 million Americans to vote for him after the notorious Access Hollywood tape shows that his supporters are fully adept at setting aside offensive speech.
The release of this hypothetical n-word tape would confirm all camps’ prior opinions. In an election, it might motivate some Trump opponents to vote and it might discourage some marginal Trump voters from going to the ballot. But it won’t change the fundamental dynamic of opinion about him.