Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant bigotry have inspired a mass act of violence and this president must be held accountable for the consequences of his dangerous rhetoric.
Trump said, “A terrible, terrible thing what’s going on with hate in our country, frankly, and all over the world. And something has to be done. Something has to be done. About it looks like the results are coming in. And they are far more devastating than anybody originally thought. If they had protection inside, the results would have been far better. This is a dispute that will always exist I suspect. But if they had some kind of a protection inside the temple, maybe it could have been a very much different situation.”
Video:
Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant bigotry have inspired a mass act of violence and this president must be held accountable for the consequences of his dangerous rhetoric. https://t.co/ZbZtG9mF3I pic.twitter.com/FVCorrzU7p
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 27, 2018
Trump’s violent rhetoric inspired another mass shooter.
The shooter, Robert Bowers, only stopped supporting Trump when he felt that Trump was too soft on Jews:
Don't be fooled: Robert Bowers only stopped supporting Trump because he didn't hate Jews enough to fit the views Bowers holds. He had hope that Trump would play out his racist agenda. Said differently, Trump wasn't radical enough for him but was pointing the same direction.
— Chris Sampson (@TAPSTRIMEDIA) October 27, 2018
The issue for Bowers was that Trump wasn’t racist enough.
The shooter was upset that Jewish organizations have been assisting refugees in the US:
Pittsburgh suspect Robert Bowers posted this AM “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people..I’m going in” https://t.co/2T5c6xdPhC pic.twitter.com/Bj7T7E8Yzh
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) October 27, 2018
The hatred and fear of immigrants that Trump has been spreading along with his conservative media allies have consequences. The bigotry, fear, and paranoia that is the lifeblood of Trump’s politics attract the mentally ill and unstable.
Donald Trump didn’t shoot anyone, but he has inspired and emboldened the culture of hate and division. It is part of his political brand, and he must be held accountable for the wave of violence that his rhetoric has unleashed on this country.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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