If you’re having trouble understanding why minority Americans are so horrified by Donald Trump’s election, Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj has a good, if depressing, explanation.
"It used to be when I walked on a plane, I could feel the stares and suspicion," Minhaj said, referencing Islamophobia he’s faced since 9/11. "And it sucked. But at least I knew the president of the United States had my back." (He then joked, "Mostly because he’s also a Muslim. We can say it now. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. He’s Muslim, okay?")
He added, "But now that asshole in seat 21B, calling the flight attendant, trying to get me thrown off the plane, now that guy is the president. Plus, I also think he’s groping the lady sitting next to him."
"And look, I don’t want people thinking, ‘Aw, that poor little Muslim boy, that little brown boy, your life is tough.’ No, it’s all of us. It’s not just Muslims or Mexicans or African Americans. It is all of us, whether it’s your citizenship, marriage rights, freedom of speech. Donald Trump is going to move on them like a bitch."
This feeling didn’t come out of nowhere. One of Trump’s first policy proposals was to ban Muslims from entering the US. Although he’s walked back that plan since then (to what he calls "extreme vetting"), it remains a huge source of anxiety and uncertainty for many Muslim Americans looking at Trump’s presidency.
Minhaj told a personal story that reflects that anxiety and uncertainty: "This is a true story. My mom is out of the country right now. She’s visiting my grandma. And she’s a US citizen. She’s lived here 30 years. She’s on the phone with me last night. And she’s like, ‘Hasan, I don’t know if I can come back until February. Am I going to be able to get back into the country?’ And the fact that I can’t tell her yes with 100 percent certainty is heartbreaking."
