Donald Trump’s comments toward Jasmine Crockett were nothing new for the reality star–turned–politician. Over the years, he has developed a pattern of insulting women, particularly women of color, by questioning their intelligence, behavior, or whether they even deserve the positions they hold. In March, Jasmine Crockett called Texas Governor Greg Abbott “Hot Wheels” during a Human Rights Campaign event as he used a wheelchair. The quip drew backlash and for good reason, but Donald Trump came in later.
He told conservative host Vince Coglianese:
“She’s a lowlife, and she’s a very low-IQ person.”
He also said that Democrats “will never win an election again” if they are led by people like her. Then, on Air Force One, Trump referenced his past “cognitive tests” at Walter Reed as proof of his own sharpness and that if Jasmine Crockett and AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) were given such tests (that included naming animals, he admitted), they would fail. While the internet laughed at his boasts, Jasmine Crockett wasn’t laughing. She reframed Trump’s comments as part of his fixation on discrediting Black women in leadership. And honestly, we see it too, considering what happened with Maxine Waters and the late Elijah Cummings’s staffers.
On CNN, Crockett dissected Trump’s comments when she said: “You have a president of the United States who consistently is obsessing over two women of color who are members of the House. (…) You consistently feel threatened.” Supporters rallied behind her, and lawmakers spoke up. They framed her defense as an act of resistance against demeaning rhetoric. The subtext of Jasmine Crockett’s words was that she was standing up for the generations of Black women who have been undermined by the system.
Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett called President Donald Trump “racist” at an event with the Congressional Black Caucus discussing redistricting across the United States.
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Posted by The National Desk – TND on Wednesday, September 10, 2025
But anyway, how should public figures who also happen to be women of color respond to attacks designed to reduce them to caricatures? At its core, race and gender are entwined in America’s power struggles, no matter how high up one goes. Trump’s repeated targeting of women of color, often with the identical “low IQ” rhetoric, shows how uncomfortable he is with Black women challenging authority in traditionally white, male-dominated spaces. For many, Jasmine Crockett’s comeback was resilience in a system stacked against her.
RELATED: Jasmine Crockett ‘Guarantees’ Donald Trump’s ‘Low IQ’
It was a rather awkward reality that was brought to light by the sitting president’s public mockery of a Black congresswoman’s intelligence while on a diplomatic trip abroad. Clearly, the American political scene continues to be an arms race for representation and dignity. Will this cycle of racialized taunts and rebellion one day lead to being held accountable? Or are we bound to witness the repetition of history again and again? Crockett herself pointed out that her value will be decided by the people she represents, not by Trump.
But as the world observes this verbal battle unfold in real-time, the dialogue surrounding race, gender, and power in American politics is far from finished. What do you think this row between Jasmine Crockett and Donald Trump says about modern America?
