CNN guest's 'beeper' comment against Mehdi Hasan highlights rising racist rhetoric ahead of US election

Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of illegal immigrants in a second term

CNN has banned commentator Ryan Girdusky who told a Muslim guest 'I hope your beeper doesn't go off'.

A conservative commentator has been banned from CNN after telling a Muslim journalist, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off”, amid growing concerns about the increasingly xenophobic tone of Republican Donald Trump's campaign.

Ryan Girdusky made the remark – an apparent reference to Israel’s exploding pagers operation in Lebanon that targeted Hezbollah militants last month – during a debate with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan on CNN NewsNight.

They were discussing racist jokes made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during Mr Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.

“I'm a supporter of the Palestinians, I'm used to” being called an anti-Semite, said Hasan, who left MSNBC in January after the US TV channel cancelled his Sunday night programme. The channel was accused of silencing Hasan, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Girdusky replied: “Yeah, well I hope your beeper doesn't go off.”

The fallout has been mounting after Mr Trump's weekend rally, where several xenophobic and racist comments were made the from the stage. The former president on Tuesday defended the rally, calling it an "absolute lovefest".

During his speech, New York City's former mayor Rudy Giuliani, celebrated for his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but who has since become a conspiracy theorist and avid Trump supporter, railed against Palestinians.

“September 11 was our darkest hour, October 7 was Israel's darkest hour … The Palestinians are taught to kill us at two years old,” he said.

“They may have good people, I'm sorry, I don't take a risk with people who are taught to kill Americans at two. [The Democrats] are on the side of terrorists.”

The comment gathering the most online backlash came from a comedian who referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of rubbish in the middle of the ocean”.

He used both anti-Semitic and anti-Palestinian tropes in his jokes, as well, saying: “When it comes to Israel and Palestine, we’re all thinking the same thing. Settle your stuff already. Best out of three. Rock, paper, scissors. You know the Palestinians, they’re going to throw a rock every time. But you also know the Jews have a hard time throwing that paper, if you know what I’m saying.”

When Mr Trump appeared, he doubled down on his promises of mass deportation if he retakes the White House.

“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation programme in American history to get the criminals out. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail. Then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible,” Mr Trump said.

This is nothing new for the Trump campaign, which has in part been defined by xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric. But the number of speakers espousing such views rang alarm bells for many voters.

Michelle Ming, policy director at non-profit immigrant advocacy organisation United We Dream, says that “there will be no safeguards for policies like this, because he will have so many allies in Congress that want him to do all these things”, especially if Republicans gain control of the Senate.

“Trump has done such a good job [when in office] of packing the courts at every single level, so that when things come up to challenge anti-immigrant policies, they are struck down,” she told The National.

Olga Burgos, a Puerto Rican living in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, said she is “outraged but not surprised by the racist rubbish”.

“We should all be outraged. But righteous anger isn’t enough … These are not just words. When Trump says that he will usher in mass deportations and withhold disaster aid, we need to believe him at his word,” she said in a statement.

Following the beeper comment, Hasan, a Muslim of South Asian descent, said that considering Mr Giuliani's comments, Girdusky was a “great guest to be here”.

“This is what we're in now. This is America in 2024, forget the racism, it's I should die.”

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris said the rally at Madison Square Garden highlighted the “stark contrast between he [Mr Trump] and I”.

But despite the words of the rally speakers, the choice on November 5 for Arab and Muslim Americans is no easy one. Many have felt betrayed by the Biden administration, which has funnelled billions of dollars to Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack to aid in its military campaign against Hamas.

Ms Harris, as Joe Biden's Vice President, has only doubled down on her support for Israel since she began her campaign.

For Ms Ming, who works intimately with younger voters more likely to be pro-ceasefire, this is a dynamic she is well aware of.

“We know that Trump has promised to create a country that is absolutely unlivable for immigrants,” she told The National, pointing to the former president's inflammatory rhetoric and “Muslim ban” during his time in office.

“We understand and we're continuing to push Harris on a lot of her policies, including her policies in the Middle East. But we know that at least under Harris administration, she is movable, and she actually responds to pressure in a way that Trump wouldn't.”

For organisations focused on immigration, Ms Ming also warned that down-ballot Republican victories could also pose a threat to immigrant rights in the US.

“They are not all going to disappear because Trump loses. If he loses, in some ways, they'll be more energised to continue organising, to continue building on their side. So this is not a fight that ends on Election Day. It really only begins there.”