{"id":356,"date":"2026-05-24T11:05:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=356"},"modified":"2026-05-24T11:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:05:59","slug":"what-created-trumps-base-is-no-reason-to-give-his-supporters-a-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=356","title":{"rendered":"What created Trump’s base is no reason to give his supporters a pass"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I keep hearing that one of America\u2019s biggest problems is we\u2019re \u201cdivided and polarized.\u201d For example, New York Times <\/em>columnist David French: \u201cWe\u2019ve known for a long time that America is deeply polarized, and we\u2019ve known the problem is only getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Americans are suffering a hidden \u2018depression\u2019 and economic hell in 2020 \u2014 and it could get even worse: report<\/a><\/p>\n

This is bull—-. The problem is not <\/em>that we\u2019re divided and polarized. <\/p>\n

The problem is that a significant portion of America is buying Trump\u2019s violent, hateful, lawless crap. Some of those buying it are white supremacists. Others are conservative fundamentalist Christians. Others are xenophobic nationalists. <\/p>\n

I feel compassion for those who\u2019ve been seduced into supporting Trump after being brutalized and mistreated for years by employers, big corporations, Wall Street, and America\u2019s oligarchs. As I warned 32 years ago, widening inequalities of wealth, income, and opportunity would eventually persuade some on the losing side to support a demagogue.<\/p>\n

But an explanation for why some of Trump\u2019s followers have bought into his neofascism isn\u2019t a justification for them to do so. And it\u2019s certainly no reason for us to put aside our differences and compromise with them. <\/p>\n

As you undoubtedly know, Trump has created a violent police state inside America. He is conducting an illegal war abroad. He has usurped the powers of Congress and defied court orders. He is taking bribes. He\u2019s criminally prosecuting his enemies and pardoning his criminal supporters (he has even set up a slush fund to compensate them). He has gotten his Justice Department to immunize him and his family from any future tax audits. He is silencing critics. He is fomenting racism and bigotry. <\/p>\n

None of us should fall for the false equivalency between this, and opposition to it. The contest today is not <\/em>between \u201cright\u201d and \u201cleft,\u201d as the two sides have traditionally been understood in America. It\u2019s not even between \u201cRepublicans\u201d and \u201cDemocrats,\u201d as we\u2019ve defined the two major parties over most of the past century. <\/p>\n

No, the contest today is between democracy and authoritarianism. It\u2019s between tolerance and bigotry. Between a multiracial, secular, inclusive society and one that believes in white Christian nationalism. Between the rule of law and neofascism. <\/p>\n

Read more When the wealthiest people on Earth finally get the world they\u2019ve always wanted<\/a><\/p>\n

The two sides in this contest do not merit equal weight. If we are going to have a decent society, the nation must come down on the former side. <\/p>\n

As long as Trump has followers who support his bigotry, racism, corruption, and violence, the nation will remain divided and polarized. That is necessary and proper. <\/p>\n

We shouldn\u2019t \u201creach out, or \u201cmeet halfway,\u201d or \u201cfind middle ground,\u201d or \u201csplit the difference,\u201d or any other of today\u2019s hackneyed expressions for putting aside what divides us and agreeing. <\/p>\n

Generations of Americans fought and died for the ideals of democracy, freedom, social justice, the rule of law, and equal opportunity. We have never fully achieved them, but they remain our ideals. Tomorrow we celebrate Memorial Day to honor those ideals and the memories of those who died for them. <\/p>\n

There cannot be, must not be, any compromise with neofascism. <\/p>\n

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https:\/\/robertreich.substack.com\/.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more The sleeping giant just woke up as angry nonvoters are about to rock midterms<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I keep hearing that one of America\u2019s biggest problems is we\u2019re \u201cdivided and polarized.\u201d For example, New York Times columnist David French: \u201cWe\u2019ve known for a long time that America is deeply polarized, and we\u2019ve known the problem is only getting worse.\u201dThis is bull—-. The problem is not that we\u2019r…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat created Trump's base is no reason to give his supporters a pass - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=356\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What created Trump's base is no reason to give his supporters a pass - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I keep hearing that one of America\u2019s biggest problems is we\u2019re \u201cdivided and polarized.\u201d For example, New York Times columnist David French: \u201cWe\u2019ve known for a long time that America is deeply polarized, and we\u2019ve known the problem is only getting worse.\u201dThis is bull----. 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