It’s disheartening enough to see grown adults call for a border wall – a symbol of hate – but it’s especially saddening to see a child mimic the same sentiment. It’s likely why a 7-year-old boy in Austin received strong criticism after he started a hot chocolate stand to raise money for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
According to his mother, Jennifer Stevens, Benton begged his parents – who are both members of the Republican National Convention – to start the stand, which he set up at Steiner Ranch strip mall, according to CBS Austin. Jennifer and her husband, Shane, regularly speak to their family about their beliefs and their support of Trump, who has said shameful things about immigrant communities, Muslims, African-Americans, and more.
“I think it’s important that (our children) know what’s going on in the world, where we stand, what we believe in,” Jennifer told CBS News. But despite the fact that they attended the inauguration, she said she doesn’t push her children to be political. “They should be kids. I just happen to have very mature 7-year-old who wants to be involved in this. That’s what he wants to do. I have a 10-year-old who doesn’t.”
Jennifer added that her son asked to go to the chocolate stand every day after school, and some people called him “little Hitler.”
“Some people were mad and calling me a ‘little Hitler’ and stuff, and some people were really happy,” Benton, who raised a few thousand dollars, said.
And while we don’t condone calling a child “little Hitler,” it’s important to also note that he’s spreading hate.