You’ll be judged by the company you keep.
My wife and I tell our two boys this all the time — making sure they know that the people they choose as friends say something about them. And even if they themselves are great kids, if they are hanging out with a bunch of disrespectful jerks, lots and lots of their peers, teachers and other adults will see them as disrespectful jerks too.
Which brings me to Donald Trump’s big rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
Before Trump ever hit the stage at the 5-hour marathon rally, one speaker had called Doug Emhoff a “bad Jew.” Another had referenced Kamala Harris’ “pimp handlers.” And still another — a “comedian” — had repeatedly insulted Hispanics and referred to Puerto Rico as a floating garbage pit in the ocean.
The Trump campaign tried to distance itself from that last set of comments. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” said a spokeswoman. The campaign also noted that they had not previewed the remarks by the comedian before he delivered them.
Which, fine, I guess. But here’s the reality: Donald Trump has been platforming people with hateful and intolerant views for the last decade. Every time a surrogate of his says something racist or awful, his defenders will insist Trump himself isn’t racist or awful. But if you keep giving racist and awful people room to speak — under your name and with a bright light shining on them — does it really matter what you think in your heart of hearts?
One of the things that really worries me about another Trump term is that he has, for a very long time, provided cover for these fringe voices. He has emboldened them to come out of the darkness — to speak truth to wokeness (or something).
And, if he is president again, you can be sure these voices will grow bolder. They will see their views as having been affirmed by his election. And they will push even further — rhetorically and otherwise.
Who you surround yourself — in campaigns and in life — matters. And Sunday at Madison Square Garden was a harsh reminder of who Trump chooses to pal around with.
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The Morning: What Trump's MSG rally says about him