An Open Letter to Donald Trump:
Mr. Trump,
I try my hardest not to be political. I’ve refused to interview several of your fellow candidates. I didn’t want to risk any personal goodwill by appearing to take sides in a contentious election. I thought: ‘Maybe the timing is not right.’ But I realize now that there is no correct time to oppose violence and prejudice. The time is always now. Because along with millions of Americans, I’ve come to realize that opposing you is no longer a political decision. It is a moral one.
I’ve watched you retweet racist images. I’ve watched you retweet racist lies. I’ve watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy. I’ve watched you joyfully encourage violence, and promise to ‘pay the legal fees’ of those who commit violence on your behalf. I’ve watched you advocate the use of torture and the murder of terrorists’ families. I’ve watched you gleefully tell stories of executing Muslims with bullets dipped in pig blood. I’ve watched you compare refugees to ‘snakes,’ and claim that ‘Islam hates us.’
I am a journalist, Mr. Trump. And over the last two years I have conducted extensive interviews with hundreds of Muslims, chosen at random, on the streets of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees across seven different countries. And I can confirm— the hateful one is you.
Those of us who have been paying attention will not allow you to rebrand yourself. You are not a ‘unifier.’ You are not ‘presidential.’ You are not a ‘victim’ of the very anger that you’ve joyfully enflamed for months. You are a man who has encouraged prejudice and violence in the pursuit of personal power. And though your words will no doubt change over the next few months, you will always remain who you are.
Sincerely,
There are few things that resonate like the truth. In the case of Donald Trump, his power and appeal is anchored in the soft sand of dishonesty, disinformation, and lack of integrity. Truth is what demagogues like Trump hate, so they manufacture their own, believing they own the truth and can therefore massage and control it as needed.
The problem with that belief is that the truth belongs to no one…and to everyone. No one person gets to claim it for themselves and use it to their advantage. Donald Trump may believe that his truth IS the truth, but Stanton’s letter should be required reading for all who’ve pledged their support to The Donald.
Trump has presided over- and played an outsized role in creating- perhaps the angriest, most volatile political landscape since 1968. Violence at his rallies is becoming the norm, and he’s encouraged and facilitated assaults of those who dare voice dissent. Is he directly responsible? Perhaps not, but neither has he unequivocally denounced violence. To him, it seems to be a tool to be employed to ramp up the already highly emotional carnival atmosphere surrounding his campaign.
Instead of taking responsibility for the violence at his rallies- violence he’s explicitly encouraged- he’s blamed Bernie Sanders and threatened to respond in kind. I’m not certain it gets much more pathetic than that.
It really shouldn’t take something like this to illustrate the demagoguery at work in Trump’s campaign, but perhaps it’s time for good people to step up and speak their mind. If we don’t condemn a candidate whose campaign is steeped in the politics of racism, hatred, and exclusion, we may turn on our television next January 20th to see Donald Trump standing before Chief Justice John Roberts with his right hand on a Bible. I can think of few prospects which should frighten Americans more.
