It is no secret that Donald Trump is a bigot: his words and actions have repeatedly and consistently shown him to be unabashedly racist, homophobic, misogynistic and xenophobic.
Perhaps four years ago, one could try to argue Trump wasn’t that bad, that he didn’t really mean the things he said, that he wouldn’t actually do the things he threatened. But it is now 2020. If you still support Trump after the last four years of his administration, you are also racist, homophobic, misogynistic and xenophobic.
You may claim not to be, but by standing behind this president you are saying you are okay with racism, homophobia, misogyny and xenophobia; that you excuse these horrendous ideologies; that you are prioritizing whatever perceived benefits you have from the Trump administration over the civil and human rights of others.
You are being selfish. As Sa'iyda Shabazz put it, “you’re not voting for someone based on one thing. By supporting that one thing about them you do like, you’re also supporting the things you may not like.”
By this same logic, if you are against Trump and his administration, yet continue to maintain relationships -- be they romantic or platonic -- with others who support Trump, you cannot say you support diversity, equality or civil and human rights; for in maintaining your relationship with a Trump voter, you are excusing either their active approval or passive enabling of his dangerous and hateful actions and rhetoric.
To some, the above statement may sound ridiculous. They may denounce this as simple liberal-extremist, millennial, social-justice-warrior, cancel-culture nonsense. They may say, “Can’t we just agree to disagree? We can have different political beliefs and still maintain our relationship!”
However, if they do, they’re wrong. Supporting Trump can no longer be excused as a mere difference of political opinion; supporting Trump is a difference of morality and ethics.
Robert Jones Jr., author of The Prophets, summed it up best when he said: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”
I can and do have plenty of relationships with people who have different opinions on a variety of subjects. What I can’t have are relationships with those whose core moral values are so diametrically opposed to my own.
I get that confronting this reality is uncomfortable. I get that many prefer to sweep these ideological inconsistencies under the rug, ignore the red elephant in the room, and continue their relationships with the tacit understanding that in order to uphold the status quo they must refrain from discussing the state of our country (and really, who wants a relationship where you aren’t able to discuss issues that are important to you?).
I’m not saying you’re the progeny of Hitler and David Duke if you don’t end these relationships. What I am saying is that you cannot have it both ways: you cannot be silent while in the presence of bigotry, whether active or enabled, and still tell those affected by said bigotry that you support them.
You may truly believe from the bottom of your heart that racism is bad, equality is good, and love is love. But believing something is right is not the same as doing what is right. Showing support for a cause or a community requires tangible actions, not words of encouragement.
Your verbal affirmations mean nothing if they aren’t reflected in your actions.