Trump’s racist post about the Obamas was a wake-up call for some. Why did it take so long? | Jamil Smith

The racism was not new. What was new was the inability to look past it. For a moment, at least, the blinders were off

John from New Mexico, a self-professed lifelong Republican, called into C-Span's Washington Journal earlier this month with penitence on his mind.

I voted for the president and supported him," he began. But I really want to apologize."

Jamil Smith is a Guardian US columnist