US President-elect Donald Trump, during his fiery speech at the AmericaFest In Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday slammed the “woke culture”, calling it “bullshit”. He blamed the woke culture for undermining America’s strength. The 78-year-old’s comments sparked widespread reactions on social media including an endorsement from Elon Musk, who tweeted “YES!” alongside a viral clip of Trump’s remarks.
“Woke has to stop. It’s destroying our country. Woke is bulls**,” Trump declared, referencing the renaming of US military bases that previously honored Confederate leaders. He pledged to reverse such changes, including restoring the original name of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, now called Fort Liberty.
That line received the biggest applause of the morning from the conservative audience, most of whom were wearing Make America Great Again hats and other Trump-branded gear.
What is woke?
In the West, the term “woke” has become a lightning rod on both the left and the right – a symbol of a modern culture war. It first emerged in the US in the 1940s from the word “awake” and was used to describe someone who is well-informed on issues of social injustice – particularly racism, according to a report in Al-Jazeera.
In its original use, it meant being alert to the specific discrimination and systemic harm suffered by African Americans. More recently, it has been adopted as a ubiquitous watchword for a wide variety of social movements, including LGBTQ issues, feminism, immigration, climate change and marginalised communities.
