by Rich Nelson
We should expect more from the person sitting in the Oval Office. Words matter. Divisive statements fuel fears and insecurities which can lead to aggressive and violent actions. Donald Trump has given license to division and hate. Trump led the charge that President Obama was not born in this country – the “birther movement” – in his first attempt to de-legitimatize the Obama presidency.
In his first remarks as a presidential candidate, Trump stated, “When Mexico sends its people … they are bringing drugs and they are bringing crime and their rapists.” At campaign rallies, he gave implicit approval to assaults on protesters, stating he would pay for his followers’ legal fees. Katy Tur, who covered the Trump campaign for NBC News, writes in her book Unbelievable that she was often singled out by Trump at rallies during his frequent “Fake News” tirades. During a Miami rally late in the campaign, after a direct taunt from Trump, Tur writes “Everyone in the venue is booing me, and some try to get to my position. Security has to stop them. The most aggressive members of the crowd are now as close as they can get, taunting me.” Trump’s attacks on the media are relentless, calling the press “the enemy of the American people” and recently tweeting that he “will be announcing the most dishonest and corrupt media awards of the year.”
A December 17, 2017 article in The New York Times documents the rise in bias incidents in the past couple years. A study of FBI crime data shows a 26% increase in bias incidents during the last quarter of 2016, the last stages of the Presidential campaign. The study shows this trend has continued into 2017, with anti-Muslim incidents nearly doubling in two years. A provocative and menacing use of the word “Trump” has often accompanied such incidents. For example, The New York Times article of December 17 cited an incident in which a white businessman at JFK airport assaulted an airline employee wearing a hijab while saying “Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you.” Last March, white students at a Connecticut high school shouted “Trump! Trump! Trump!” as players from the opposing team, predominately Latino and African-American, took free throw shots.
During a November 27, 2017 White House ceremony honoring Native American veterans who served as WWII Navajo Code Talkers, Trump said, directly to the heroes being honored, “You were here long before any of us were here. Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas.” This, of course, was just another in a long string of remarks made by Trump disparaging Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Yes, we deserve better. It’s about dignity and respect, common courtesy and decency. We also need a President who is well versed in policy, shows a firm understanding of history, has a curiosity to learn and grow, and exhibits an empathy for those less fortunate or in peril. Our current resident of the White House fails on all these accounts. In a tweet from this past January 6, in response to the revelations in the new book Fire and Fury, Trump stated “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.” Shame, Mr. President.
E-mail Rich at richmskgn@gmail.com
