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Toxic Rhetoric

How long ca we tolerate Donald Trump's hate and his slurs?

By: Rob Miraldi
Your Turn
Guest columnist

..... After numinous controversial attempts during the first Trump administration, the first lady finally decorated the White House Christmas tree this year [2025] with beautiful ornaments and garlands to the satisfaction of even her critics. But poor Melania: Even though the house is in order, she hasn't been able to get hr husband into the spirit of the season.
..... Instead of preaching peace, love and brotherhood from his big pulpit, the president has been growling and spewing what can only be labeled as "hate" speech at everyone form Somali immigrates ("garbage") to female news reporters ("stupid") to American governors (an ablest slur).
..... Jeffrey Haggray, executive director of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, founded in 1832, observed recently, "We have not witnessed such vile and hateful displays of racism, antagonism and incivility by an American president in this lifetime. No part of Trump's hate speech can be defended, affirmed or interpreted otherwise."
..... The irony, of course, is hat while "hate speech" has been around for a long tie - recall Father Charles Coughlin, the Depression Era "Radio Priest" who blamed Jews and bankers and supported the fascists - it's First Amendment-protected speech.
..... Don't get me wrong: No one likes or supports hateful attacks on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual preference. It can be argued they have little value.
..... But we tolerate and protect them because, as renowned First Amendment scholar Floyd Abras points out, hate speech is "the price society has determined it must pay in order to assure a system of free expression. "Unless it's a direct incitement to violence, even ugly words are protected.
..... Far be it from me to take issue with Abrams, a great modern champion of free speech, but we surely must wonder and ask" Do we have to put up with the slurs when they come from Donald Trump, prescient of the United States?
..... I don't want him in jail, I just want to muzzle him, because, as numerous studies show, hateful words, from political leaders often lead to hate crimes, actual acts of violence - and they poison our culture.

Why do we tolerate Trump's hate?
And his slurs?

..... Take a peek at recent events:
..... The U.S. Coast Guard set December 15 [2025] as Nazi swastika as a hate symbol. (Nooses and the Confederate Flag also would be acceptable!) Huh? the symbol of white supremacy, associates whit 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust during a war in which 400,000 American troops died? Really. It's OK to hoist the Nazi flag? It might be legal, but it's far from acceptable.
..... Two days after the revelation caused such a flap, the Coast Guard repealed its intention, but the president was just getting started on his hate splurge.
..... As demanded for the Epstein files mounted - from both parties - and election results clobbered the Republicans, Trump warmed up. over the holiday weekend, [11/27-30/2025] he posted on social media that "Somali gangs are terrorizing he people "of Minnesota and 'BILLIONS of Dollars are missing." He did not repeat his previous claim about Ohio, where, he said, immigrants were eating people's dogs. Somalis are "garbage," he barked, tarring all of he 61,000 Somalis who live in Minnesota with the same brush. He said Somalia "stinks and we don't want them in our country," But he wasn't finished.
..... He then went after Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who came to the U.S. from Somalia as a refugee, becoming a citizen 25 years ago. "We could go one way or the other, and we're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country," Trump said.
..... One wishes Melania had just grabbed him by the ear and yelled, "Quiet Piggy," the infamous words he uttered to a reporter who asked a inquisition he didn't like. but no. Still not done.
..... Trump - like a sixth grader mocking a classmate's mother - jeered how Omar was "always wrapped in her swaddling hijab" a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women. "she's garbage."
..... Omar returned the volley: "the president's obsession with the Somali community and me is really unhealthy and creepy. I hope he gets the help he needs."
..... He turned then to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the 2024 vice presidential candidate. A quiet, folksy man, Walz has a son with disabilities. Trump blamed Walz for allowing the Somali population to grow, even though they were first invited by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.
..... Walz, the president declared, was "seriously (ableist slur)" for welcoming immigrants from Somalia. Islamophobia aside, Trump offended the entire community of advocates for the disabled. "the R-word" was long ago discarded and rejected, and as one advocate said, "This careless remark drags us backward to a time when that word was sued to demean and marginalize. It reopened wounds they have fought for years to heal."

Can we be surprised by Trump any longer?

..... But we shouldn't be at all surprised. In his first election, Trump mocked a reporter from The New York Times who had artrogryposis, a condition htatg affects the joints. Trump waved his arms in front of a large crowd as he made fun of Serge Kovaleski. The Times said: "We think it's outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters,"
..... But he didn't learn a thing about disabled people - or about reporters.
..... After the Times published a long story on how Trump has slowed because of age and ailments, he lashed out at the author Katie Rogers as "a third-rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out" and "is assigned to write only bad things abut me." The next day, CBS News' Nancy Cordes contradicted the president at a press conference. "Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?" Trump responded. "You're just asking questions 'cause you're a stupid person."
..... And 'cause this president is a mean and bigoted person.
..... He has attacked tow more female reporters in the last two days. he inflames, exacerbates, rubs salt in the wounds. And it's no wonder that acts of violence have risen under Trump.
..... The president "creates danger," Walz said. "We known how these things go. They start with taunts, they turn to violence."
..... In fact, the link between hate speech had hate crime is not speculative; it's well documented as normalizing intolerance.
..... A nonprofit group that has studied hate speech (but does not seek to ban it) observes: "Hate speech drives wedges between communities. Left unchecked, it can incite violence, legitimize authoritarianisms, and dismantle the norms that sustain democratic life."
..... We are looking at those three threats right now. After Trump's verbal assault Mayor Melvin Carter of St. Paul, Minnesota, recalled the words that founded this country: "We the People."
..... "The sacred moments in American history are when we have to decide," Carter said. "who gets included in the 'we.' Black people? woman? Immigrants?"
..... Don't look to the president of the United States for a satisfactory answer. Old dogs do not learn new tricks. And we are beyond putting coal in his stocking. Get him out of the White House and send him to the doghouse.

..... Rob Miraldi's First Amendment writing has won numerous awards. He taught journalism at the State Universe of New York for many years. Email: robmiraldi@gmail.com

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