Look in the Damn Mirror, Mr. Trump

Selective Outrage and the Politics of Hate

by Mark M. Bello

The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy. No one should lose their life to violence, certainly not for espousing their political beliefs. However, before any suspect is captured, before his or her motives are known, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, labeled Kirk’s murder a “political assassination.” Motive matters, and until we know it, speculation only inflames an already overheated political climate.

That climate, however, is real—and it didn’t come out of nowhere.

I disagreed with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush on almost every policy decision of their presidencies. Yet I never feared that their rhetoric would lead to dividing America, viewing political opponents as “enemies,” or harming each other the way we do today. No previous president, conservative, moderate, or liberal, pitted neighbor against neighbor.

Only Donald Trump does that.

From the moment he announced his candidacy in 2015, Trump made insults, dehumanization, and demonization his brand. Mexicans were “rapists.” Muslims were banned. Journalists were “enemies of the people.” Women who accused him of misconduct were “liars” or “not his type.” Political rivals became “Crooked Hillary,” “Crazy Nancy,” “Sleepy Joe,” or, more recently, “vermin.”

That last word—vermin—is straight out of the lexicon of dictators. America has been living in a toxic climate of hate for nearly a decade—and Donald Trump is the one who pumped in the poison.

Here are more samples from a much longer list of Trump’s hateful words:

• “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” — June 2015
• “Total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” — December 2015
• “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” — January 2018
• “These aren’t people. These are animals.” — May 2018
• “The Fake News media is not my enemy; it is the enemy of the American people.” — February 2017
• “Maybe he should have been roughed up.” — February 2016 rally
• “Knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously… I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees.” — February 2016 rally
• “There were very fine people on both sides.” — August 2017, Charlottesville
• “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” — January 6, 2021
• “They’re not humans, they’re vermin.” — November 2023

This is not leadership. This is hate speech.

And it’s quite selective. When Trump talks about crime and sending in the national guard, he targets urban cities in blue states but ignores the horrible crime statistics in red states, . . . you know . . . the states that voted for him. When Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s home is firebombed, Trump says nothing. When two Democratic state senators are murdered in Minnesota, silence from the president. When a plot to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is uncovered, our president laughs. When a victim is one of his own (like Kirk), the outrage is instant and absolute. Violence is not universally wrong—it is only wrong when it touches those who support him.

Trump’s hypocrisy reached its ugliest form when he pardoned every hoodlum who attacked our Capitol on January 6th, an insurrection that left death, serious injuries, destruction, police officers battered, and lawmakers running for their lives. Trump has mainstreamed hate speech, divided Americans into “us” and “them,” neighbor against neighbor, and continues to thrive on the chaos he creates.

Mr. Trump: Would you like to know why our country is so divided? Or who’s responsible for the climate of hate that led to Charlie Kirk’s death?

Look in the damn mirror.

I often quote from the movie, The American President, starring Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd. I find myself wishing that someone like “Andrew Shepherd” were POTUS. In the film, “Shepherd” gives a memorable political speech, a part of which goes like this:

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

Isn’t that the way it should be? Shouldn’t we encourage different points of view and debate them reasonably? Shouldn’t all political opponents behave this way? While I didn’t agree with much of what Charlie Kirk had to say, I absolutely defended his right to say it. I’ve never wished him harm.

Trump, on the other hand, uses words like “enemy,” “vermin,” “fight,” “animals,” “shithole,” “criminal,” and “rapists.” Words from a man convicted of fraud and found civilly responsible for sexual assault.

As Rodney King inquired more than thirty years ago: “Can’t we all get along?”

Yes, we can—but only if we, all of us, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, reject Trump’s poison and demand that violence against anyone is violence against everyone, regardless of political beliefs. Healing begins when we insist that hate speech is never “just words.” Leadership means condemning violence without regard to political affiliation.

It’s time for a new path forward—one rooted in universal dignity, shared humanity, and common decency.

Do you think there’s any chance of that while Trump is in office?

No? That’s the problem.

Mark M. Bello is an attorney and author of 9 Zachary Blake Legal Thrillers and other legal themed novels and children’s books. For more information, please visit https://www.markmbello.com