The Worst Thing About Trump

How could you pick just one, right? He lies so often and so blatantly you start to wonder if he even really has a concept of what truth IS. He regurgitates populist tripe against minorities, he treats women as objects and laughs about it, demands loyalty beyond what any President should receive and, to top it all off, doesn't seem to be a very good businessman, either.

But none of that is the worst thing about Trump. The worst thing about him, by far, is his effect on other people.

I'm not even talking about the people who grow more and more frightened the closer he gets to power, though that is bad enough. No, I am talking about the everyday Americans who go into public forums to stump for their candidate and promptly turn into horrible people.

Yesterday I stared in horror as a member of my congregation posted meme after meme excusing the behavior of Trump while attacking Chelsea Clinton. Chelsea! Not Hillary, not even Bill, but their daughter, apparently for being the child of rich parents, which I always thought would never be a crime according to Republicans.

I've seen Trump Supporters, people whom I love and can vouch for as loving people, attack transgendered people as potential rapists. I've then seen them claim that bragging about sexually assaulting women should be seen as unfortunate, but normal, behavior. (So why are worried about trans people?) I've seen them excuse the murder of young black men as an acceptable, if unfortunate (maybe) consequence of law and order. I've seen them advocate prison, exile, or even execution for political rivals. I've seen them applaud violence against protestors while passionately condemning email use, heard them cheer for "bombing the shit" out of terrorists while claiming to fear refugees from the countries they want to "bomb the shit" out of, and I have even seem them do these things scant minutes after praying to a loving, compassionate God that they claim to believe in!

It's a tough place for a Pastor to stand in. I've seen colleagues of mine forced to tone down their rhetoric in the name of some illusory political "fairness" as they get attacked by Trump supporters in their congregations, wondering if their ability to do ANY kind of ministry might get eclipsed by the demand that they not reveal how the things he does are so antithetical to the Gospel.

It's not easy for politicians, either. I've watched Trump supporters demand other conservative politicians walk in ideological lockstep with the Donald even if it means betraying their core ideals, as if this election was a football game and we could pressure the politicians to support the nominee like forcing players to support the quarterback.

I'll probably get a comment or two about how this post is biased, how it doesn't cover both sides, but this, very simply, does not happen with Hillary Clinton. You don't see anyone out there saying that every Secretary of State should use their own private Email Server, or that Benghazi was a perfect execution of foreign policy. No one holds up Clinton's flaws to claim that they are virtues, no one has ever described her as the perfect candidate, or denied the roll that politics has played in her career. She just isn't that kind of candidate. People support her, not because she is the perfect human being, but because she is the most qualified for the job, or barring that, because she, quite simply, isn't Donald Trump.

And here is my worry... this is just the effect of Donald Trump, the candidate. Imagine his behavior modeled, not by a presidential candidate, but the President of the United States. Imagine the normalizing effect that would have on these behaviors, as people saw their WORST impulses exemplified, EVERY DAY, by the most powerful person in the world?

Don't tell me it wouldn't happen. I already see it happening every day. But this is just the beginning. Donald Trump has to be defeated, because if he isn't, his effect on the American People will only get stronger.