I agree 100%. Honestly, me being in the NE, and having listened to Trump for 3 decades or so, PLUS he a businessman who lives in NYC so I'm sure he's had to deal with all sorts of minorities, I doubt very much he's a racist. BUT he's running for prez, as a Republican, so he KNOWS who he needs on his side. He knows he has to cater to the racist in the party. It's no secret that when Stormfront people show up here they may swear up and down they're not Republicans, but then 99.99% of the time they support GOP politicians and issues. It's no coincidence that 99% of the time when a White Supremacist group backs a politician, that politician is Republican. Trumps no dummy, he knows this. he knows the Southern Strategy works. It worked in 1968, and it still does.
If, and I still doubt hew will, but IF he gets the GOP nod, I think in the general election he'll tone down the rhetoric. I don't like the guy, I never did. But what we are seeing now from him isn't the Donald Trump of 20 years ago. I don't think anyone can change this much. He's doing this because he knows what the far right Republican voter wants, and to get the GOP nom he needs to use the Southern Strategy. He needs to kiss up to the racist, angry white males in the GOP.