Critics: Trump's Fair Housing Statements a 'Political Stunt'

Ashraf Khalil writes for the Associated Press to amplify the message of advocates with strong criticisms for President Donald Trump's recent attacks on fair housing laws.

Planetizen provided a rundown of the president's recent statements in context of the Trump administration's efforts to weaken the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, approved during the Obama administration to strengthen the anti-segregation measures of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.In recent weeks, the president's rhetoric about the effects of the AFFh has grown increasingly heightened. An editorial published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Trump's leverage of the suburbs and the AFFH to score election points is more than a racist dog whistle: "It's a bullhorn." The Dallas Morning News editorial board also published a rebuttal to Trumps's anti-AFFh rhetoric (paywall).

Khalil gets soundbites from two advocates who say the president's recent statements are a political stunt, including Debby Goldberg, vice president of housing policy and special projects for the National Fair Housing Alliance, and Diane Yentel, president of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.