Oregon State University faculty members say Trump has ‘ideology of white supremacy,’ adheres to ‘hegemonic gender norms’
The article ties Trump to Project 2025, a list of Heritage Foundation policy proposals.
Three Oregon State University faculty members have tied Donald Trump’s victory to Christian nationalism and a commitment to white supremacy in a recent piece analyzing the recent presidential election.
The op-ed’s central contention is that President Trump’s agenda overlaps with Project 2025—despite the campaign’s repeated denials of such connections. Project 2025 is a list of policy proposals published by The Heritage Foundation, a right-leaning think tank.
The ideas behind Project 2025 policies “can be traced back to the colonization of the United States,” the op-ed stated.
“Apart from official connections, the connection between Christian nationalism and Trumpism underscores a shared ideology of white supremacy, adherence to hegemonic gender norms, and the willingness to employ violence for political ends,” the Oregon State University faculty members write.
Catherine Bolzendah, the School of Public Policy director, and Finn Johnson, Ron Mize, and Susan Shaw of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program wrote the piece for Ms. Magazine. Mize and Shaw are professors at Oregon State University. Johnson is a Ph.D. student.
The faculty members draw attention to several Trump policies they are concerned about, namely “anti-trans measures, immigration restrictions, bans on diversity initiatives, and attacks on bodily autonomy.”
They also take issue with the idea that the family should be the foundation of society, which they describe as a “clear defense of white Christian nationalist limitations of ‘family’ to Christian nuclear families.”
Among Bolzendah’s research interests is the “[f]amily as a site of inequality on the basis of gender, political rights, and sexual orientation.”
The article continues to warn readers about The Heritage Foundation’s continued policy influence.
“As the Heritage Foundation shapes policy and political discourse, understanding the historical and ideological foundations of white Christian nationalism is crucial for those committed to feminist and social justice causes,” the article says. “This movement impacts marginalized communities and seeks to redefine the moral and cultural order in a way that undermines basic and vital democratic principles.”
Several college and university professors have attributed Donald Trump’s victory to an American desire to oppress minorities. UC Berkley faculty members made such a claim soon after the Nov. 7 election. Republicans created an “atmosphere of anti-trans hate to move people to the polls,” one professor said.
Meanwhile, one Emory University professor stated in an interview with Democracy Now! that Trump’s victory was a win for the Confederacy.
“We’re looking at the misogyny and the racism and the fear of what it meant to have a Black Asian woman who’s married to a Jewish man sitting in the White House,” she said.
In response to a Campus Reform request for comment, a Heritage Foundation spokesman provided a Foundation webpage called “The Truth About Project 2025.”
Campus Reform contacted Catherine Bolzendah and Ron Mize for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
