Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:10 pm
As the political world reacts to Hillary Clinton’s recent comments in which she said “half” of Donald Trump’s supporters can be put into a “basket of deplorables,” the Republican nominee himself couldn’t help but respond, too – in the most laughable way, of course.
In a tweet, Trump tried his darndest to claim that, while the Democratic nominee insults those who don’t support her, he has nothing but respect for those who oppose him.
While Hillary said horrible things about my supporters, and while many of her supporters will never vote for me, I still respect them all!
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2016
It’s to be expected that a presidential nominee would pounce on his opponent’s media-labeled gaffe – although Clinton was pretty spot-on about many of those who elevate Trump – but it’s quite rich for Trump to make such a ridiculous counter-claim about how he treats those who oppose him.
The truth known to anybody with basic knowledge of Donald Trump is this: Unless you worship him the way he worships himself, he has very little respect for you. This has been especially true during his time as a presidential candidate, when he has bullied and belittled any soul who dares to speak the truth about him.
More generally, though, Trump has spent a whole lot of time disrespecting large groups of Americans who have done nothing to personally slight him.
Mexican immigrants
Donald Trump literally kicked off his presidential campaign with a speech that called Mexican immigrants “criminals” and “rapists.” He has promised to build a wall to keep more of them from coming in and deport millions already here via a large-scale deportation force.
While he pretended to soften his tone for a couple weeks, he quickly returned to his roots and reaffirmed in a speech in Arizona the same insulting attitudes he originally expressed in his announcement speech last year.
Women
Trump’s insulting comments – and behavior – toward women aren’t just limited to remarks he’s made during his presidential campaign. Throughout his personal life and career, Trump’s disrespect for women is well-documented.
He has said that working women are a “dangerous thing.” He once told a female reporter that she wouldn’t have her job if she wasn’t attractive. Recently, he doubled down on his past comments that sexual assault in the military is to be expected because, well, that’s just what happens when women and men work together.
During this campaign, he suggested that Megyn Kelly’s tough questions during a debate were likely due to her menstrual cycle. Women who have abortions, Trump said, should be considered criminals who need to face “some sort of punishment.”
Women make up more than half of this country, and Donald Trump has worked tirelessly to insult every last one of them.
Muslims
The Republican nominee has repeatedly suggested that the Muslim community doesn’t deserve a place in the United States. One of the hallmarks of his campaign is the idea that Muslims should no longer even be allowed to enter the country.
For those Muslims already here, Trump thinks they should be treated as criminals. Not only should their places of worship “absolutely” be closed down, but their communities should also have increased levels of surveillance.
Let’s not forget that he insulted the Muslim family of a U.S. soldier who lost his life in Iraq. Why? Because they chose to vocally express their support for Hillary Clinton and opposition to Trump, a man who thinks their faith has no place in the United States.
African Americans
A more recent addition to the Trump insult playbook is his non-outreach to the African-American community.
While we all know he’s really trying to win back disaffected Republicans who aren’t comfortable voting for an open racist – a closet one is fine, though! – Trump continues to pretend his appeal to African-American voters is genuine.
He has some way of showing it.
Trump has described black neighborhoods as “war zones” and claims that African-American communities are nothing but crime-ridden hellscapes filled with people living off the government.
Insult, rinse, repeat.
This is a guy who has built an entire campaign on racial resentment and name-calling. Now he wants us to believe it’s really his opponent who doesn’t respect “millions” of Americans – all because Clinton dared to say something that many of us already knew.
Sorry, Donald, but nobody’s buying the phony outrage – especially not from you.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
