Trump has ideas about how America can ‘unify,’ all right
by Tom Toles
In the wake of a bloody killing of a government-criticizing journalist, and pipe bombs being built and sent to what might be called political opponents of the current American government, President Trump had a characteristically curious response. He might have said that free and open discourse, including criticism of the government, is the lifeblood of free societies and people, and that above all, we need to safeguard, defend and advocate for open debate and political opposition. That’s what he might have said.
What he said instead was that we needed to “unify.” It’s a canny choice of terms, because at first blush it could be taken to mean that we need to unify in defense of open debate. At first blush. But if we know anything about Trump, it’s that he does not blush. Look again at that word “unify.” What Trump really meant by that is: Stop criticizing him and fall in line. How do we know this is what he meant? Because he told us. He followed his call for unity by a renewed ATTACK on the media, blaming them and demanding that they stop their “hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories. Have to do it.” Have to, mind you. Unity. Then he continued this with “A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News.” And that they “must” stop. Must. Or else?
There was no acknowledgment whatsoever that his own incendiary attacks, so often false, against the very individuals targeted by the mail bombs could possibly have contributed in any way to the disunity he bleats about. There was no acknowledgment that fake news, specious statements and ceaseless outright lying come from his own mouth, his own office and his own people. That part he did not promise to stop. Or even curtail. No, he projects the National Big Lie Project from himself onto a political opponent, the free press. And then called for us to “unify.” Unify against the free press, that means.
And as for incendiary language, he took almost a whole day off. He asked his audience, “See how nice I can be?” Could a wink and a nudge be any clearer? Nice for a day, then back to attacking the free press and unmistakably implying that the press is somehow responsible for mail bombs being sent to HIS opponents. Nice follow-on to his wormlike response to the murder of a critical journalist overseas, Mr. President.
Do not miss or mistake what he is doing. Every rally, every crisis, every event is twisted into another excuse to move the nation closer to capitulation to and dependence on one person, Donald Trump. This is no accident, and don’t ever be misled by moments when he is “so nice.” That was a tacit acknowledgment that the rest of the time he deploys divisive invective to stoke anger and hatred, and that he is well aware of it. Look at the damage he has already done on this trajectory, and don’t dare hope it will ever stop. The free press, a firewall for democracy, is one wall he has incessantly worked to break and eradicate.
Yes, Trump has an idea about how to “unify” us all right, and he points the way toward it all the time: a political philosophy elevating nation and often race over the individual with an autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader and suppression of opposition. I’ll let you consider what a one-word synonym for that might be.
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OCU
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