In the past few months, Donald Trump has been called discriminatory, bigoted, narrow-minded and a slew of other epithets he rightfully earned. But in recent weeks, the Republican presidential frontrunner’s already-outrageous antics have been taken to the next level — transitioning his campaign from a sometimes-amusing sideshow to a downright danger.
In a rare show of partisan unity, many leading Republicans joined ranks with Democrats to condemn Trump’s recent pledge to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Trump has been known to spout offensive and often-racist rants but this latest gaffe seems to have thankfully struck a nerve. Philly Mayor Michael Nutter drew comparisons between Trump and Hitler, adding he would like to prevent the candidate from entering our city borders; the mayor received some criticism for those remarks, but it should be noted he added the caveat “if I could” to that statement.
That’s an idea lacking in Trump’s campaign. He doesn’t seem to acknowledge that things like laws and the U.S. Constitution put barriers in place to prevent individual ideology from running rampant in our country. Instead, Trump is trumpeting (excuse the pun) his own biases to rile up the lowest common denominator in our country.
That’s what is the most disturbing about his campaign: He actually has followers. A lot of them. When he came out with his “Muslim ban” policy, he was cheered by supporters in South Carolina, who gave him a standing ovation.
Whether Trump truly believes all of the drivel he spouts is a matter of debate; the optimist in us wants to believe he is instead trying to take advantage of the biases and prejudices that abound in the uneducated and uninformed. He has made an effort to tap into some Americans’ opposition to political correctness to drum up support for his behavior. But that farce has been tolerated for far too long.
Regardless of his motivation, that a person in a seeming position of authority can espouse such hateful — not to mention misguided, anti-American and, of course, unconstitutional — notions gives that way of thinking itself credence and validity. An endorsement of hate begets more hate, and that is the last thing our country needs.
Trump’s statements this week — and the support he received for them — illustrate the dangerous path his campaign is headed down. It’s time for Republicans to take a stand against an individual who is bringing down their party, and bringing down this country.