I will leave aside his inexhaustible lying and his innate dishonesty, his arrogance, his vulgarity, racism, misogyny, and bone-deep ignorance and lack of curiosity, his destruction of the environment, his eternal corruption and thus his dishonorable use of the Presidency to enrich himself and his pals.
I will leave aside his personal cruelty and his delight in punishment.
What I chiefly loath about him is how he has spread his love of cruelty down to his supporters. It is Trump as a disease vector for hatred that is most offensive.
In order to vote for him, his supporters must say I’m fine with his mockery of a handicapped man, with his caging of children, with his vile remarks about women; I am down with his signed permission for bears and wolves and their young to be poisoned or shot in their lairs, his mockery of John McCain, his comment about the “bad headaches” of soldiers who suffered brain trauma from the Iranian missile attack following his killing of Soleimani. His supporters must say I like his attacks on refugees, his vile love of torture, his 2020 budget which would make millions of Americans hungry and poorer.
The MAGA Hat is a sign that goes well beyond a slogan for Trump’s election. It is the indicator that the person who wears it, who dons a Trump T shirt, who screams at his rallies and laughs at his abuse of others has welcomed his disease into his or her own life and will vote to make a desire to joyously inflict pain one more acceptable form of American political power and American governance.
