Bob Schwartz

Trump has been hateful for his entire time in public life. His latest tirades, getting louder and uglier daily, are nothing new. But for all of this time, most of us have tried to excuse those who support Trump.

We looked across tables, in our social groups and pews, among our neighbors and colleagues, and said that people are mostly free to pursue their ideologies and support whoever they choose. Mostly, because there are obviously people whose odious beliefs reflect back on their supporters. A bridge too far.

Trump has been an exception. Trump can say hateful and horrible things and yet we believe that his supporters are otherwise decent people. They are our family, they are our friends, they are our public officials.

Is it time to stop excusing Trump supporters for Trump’s hatefulness, no matter who they are?

My answer will disappoint in its irresolution: I don’t know. What I do believe is that the increasing level of poison coming from one of the most visible people in the world—not just America but the world—is toxic. Maybe if his supporters acknowledged it, beyond “oh, that’s just Trump being Trump”, maybe we can start to get that poison out of our system.