Fear and Loathing in Trump's America

Donald Trump's speech Thursday night may have been one of the longest and darkest convention speeches given by a sitting US president in recent history. But even with all the lies, the misinformation and the hypocrisy, what stood out most was the racism

Trump delivered what may have been the most overtly racist convention speech since Pat Buchanan's infamous culture war speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention. And it was the most profoundly divisive convention speech given by a major party nominee since Barry Goldwater's 1964 acceptance speech.

From the invocation of the name of racist Democratic president Andrew Jackson to his repeated description of what he calls the "China virus" to his dire warnings of violence and danger in "Democrat-run cities," Trump's clearest message in his approximately 70-minute speech was focused almost entirely on fear.

He preached a fear of violent criminals taking over American cities, a fear of non-white immigrants invading our country, and a fear of progressives changing America's traditions.

"No one will be safe in Biden's America," Trump warned, without even a hint of irony that the very problems he decried were taking place in Donald Trump's America right now.

Trump amplified the decibel level of what had once been quiet dog whistles into a loud and aggressive bullhorn, warning fearful white Americans that radical left socialists, anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters and flag burners are coming to get you.

He took no responsibility for the more than 180,000 coronavirus deaths in America. That was China's fault.

He took no responsibility for the violence and division in America. That, he argued, was the fault of Democratic leaders who refused to stand up to protesters. And he took no responsibility for the millions who had lost their jobs in this recession. That was because of Democratic governors who shut down their states.

But what troubled me most is what he didn't say: Trump took no responsibility for the violence he himself encouraged, including the young Trump supporter accused of homicide after two people were shot and killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin just this week. He chose not to mention that at all.

(This piece was originally published on CNN.com)