Racist outbursts are not new, though the ubiquity of cellphone cameras and social media has increased their visibility. What did seem novel this week was that the people caught red-handed in moments that later went viral declined to do what many others have done in the face of widespread public backlash: apologize.

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Instead, they doubled down on their remarks.

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“I would say it again to them,” said Nancy Goodman, the woman who called black women the n-word.

"For whatever reason, people want to say, ‘This is racist.’ No, it’s not racist,” the sheriff said. “I didn’t move to Mexico. We live here in America where English is the common language.”

Dan Leonard, the school board member, told reporters he would not “apologize or resign” from the board for his comments. He told The Washington Post earlier this week he was not a racist.

The comments come on the heels of another divisive national shouting match over race, prompted by President Trump’s statements about four minority congresswomen.

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Trump told the congresswomen, all freshman Democratic lawmakers, to “go back” to the countries they came from, though three of the four were born in the United States. The controversy peaked a few days later at one of Trump’s rallies, at which supporters launched into a chant of “Send her back,” a xenophobic call that drew rebukes from members of both parties. But Trump doubled down, defending the people in attendance as “incredible patriots.”

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The targets of Leonard’s ire seemed to match those of the president. A Trump supporter, he had called Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) a “terrorist” and posted angry things about Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich).

Leonard, who did not respond to messages left with numbers listed for him in public records, has so far resisted calls for his resignation, including from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D).

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He met with representatives from Muslim-American groups Thursday, which he said did little to change his thoughts.

“Although I will not apologize or resign over the mischaracterization of my ‘out of context posts’ — we did agree to disagree and I did reassure them that I understand the position that some of them felt the need to take,” he said, according to the Asbury Park Press. “Sadly, my personal posts have obviously impacted the district and I will be more cautious going forward as we continue our fight against the Loss in State Aid."

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Chuck Wright, the sheriff of Spartanburg County, told Fox Carolina he posted the rant about immigrants after seeing it on another Facebook page. It was still active on his profile as of Friday evening.

I have been biting my tongue for several months. I try to leave politics off my page. I read the following and I agree... Posted by Chuck Wright on Tuesday, July 23, 2019

“I agree with what President Trump said: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of AMERICA, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks,” it read.

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It continued:

“This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. ‘We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!....’This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great AMERICAN freedom, ‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’."

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(Wright was not the original author of his post, and neither was the person from whom he shared it. The post has a long history on Facebook, for more than a decade, as people substitute in the races, countries and leaders they prefer to apply it to. Trump did not explicitly say the things Wright quotes him as saying.)

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“Whether you agree with my post or not, our like my stance on anything, don’t feel like you won’t get good service from me because that’s just not the case,” he told Fox Carolina. “I was elected by the people and that’s who I’m going to take care of.”

Goodman, who did not respond to several requests for comment this week, used the slur in the middle of a dispute with black patrons at a restaurant in Raleigh who had begun to film her. She told WRAL-TV that her anxiety, and the behavior of the other woman and her friend, made her lose her composure.

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“I used that word because they forced me into it,” Goodman said.

The reporter asked Goodman if she understood why the word was offensive.

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“Yes, I do,” Goodman replied. “That’s why I said it. I would say it again to them.”

The president’s racially charged policies and rhetoric have seemed to embolden many overt racists and extremist groups such as white supremacists. His name has even been used as a racial jeer.

Eric Knowles, a psychology professor at New York University who studies prejudice and politics, told The Post in 2017 that Trump’s rhetoric contributes to the “fetters . . . coming off,” that empowered racists to come out of the shadows. For example, he noted the president did not explicitly condemn the hate groups that organized the Charlottesville rally until two days after it was held.

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“When you have a president who won’t specifically signal out Nazis and white supremacists for opprobrium that communicates something to people with racial resentment,” Knowles said. “That’s a powerful message that these feelings you’ve been having, these racial and ethnic fears that are inside of you are, okay to express.”