We’ve seen two terrorist attacks by Americans during the last week.
This adds to a number of terrorist acts we’ve seen since President Donald Trump took office. There has been a 29 percent spike in attacks since 2016, according to the Washington Post. Even after President Barack Obama took office, hate crimes and terrorist attacks spiked at first, but remained low the rest of his presidency. What’s scary about the Trump presidency is that the hate crimes spiked and have yet to flatline.
These attacks are carried out, mostly, by white males—the president’s largest voter base. The president is quick to comment about terrorist attacks carried out by a person with a Middle Eastern background—the Pulse Nightclub shooting, for example—but when the attacker is white and American, Trump’s response is pitiful.
The president’s response to the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting Saturday was shameful. He claimed the mass killing could have been avoided had the synagogue been better protected and had there been more people with guns around. Three officers were injured in the cross fire as the shooter was better armed with his AR-15. Apparently the president wasn’t briefed or he was appealing to his pro-gun base.
His response to the pipe bombs sent to his democratic rivals and critics was even sorrier—it wasn’t his own. He retweeted his vice president’s response to the attack.
Whatever is to be said about Trump’s tax plan, his foreign policy or even his nominations of family, friends and criminals for positions in our government, nothing is worse than his rhetoric.
He’s mocked black professional football players with demeaning names, threatened to physically assault people at his rallies, mocked a disabled reporter, bragged about sexually assaulting women, and belittled immigrants.
I blame these hate crimes and terrorist attacks on the president’s rhetoric and his lack of response. If the president would come out and condemn these acts, we would at least feel safer.
Obama was quick to respond to acts of terror and hate. While he was not always successful, Obama’s rhetoric was at least one of American unification, of all of us coming together to stop these attacks on innocent Americans. It’s an approach that President Trump should learn from.
Yet, Trump taking this approach seems unlikely. The president cares about votes in his 2020 re-election campaign. Rather than condemning acts of violence, he’ll continue with, “We need to arm ourselves better” or “Very fine people were on both sides.”
The truth is, Mr. President, on one side you have people standing in support of a free nation where every American is created equal. On the other, you have those who believe that people are better or worse based on their wealth, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or upbringing. Americans need to stop this rhetoric.
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