The bar for “actions that would be tolerated by a Trump-supporting Republican Party” has now been set so low as to be underground.
Last week, a Haitian nonprofit organization in Springfield, Ohio, filed civil criminal charges against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, alleging dishonest and dangerous defamation of the city’s Haitian community.
Congressman Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana, responded to the request by posting on social media:
“LOL. These Haitians are wild. Pet-eating, Vudu, worst country in the Western Hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangs… But now they’re sophisticated in accusing the president and vice president. If you don’t feel that way, damn you. All these thugs better come to their senses and get out of this country by January 20th.”
That’s pure, uncut racism. There is no other way than to spin it or make excuses for it. Yet it was fabricated and allowed by the Republicans. House Democrats called for condemnation, but Republicans ignored them.
Trump Republicans spend half their time making excuses for racists and loons
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) bravely described Higgins as a “very principled person,” adding: Post down. That is what is expected of a gentleman. I think he probably regrets some of the language he used. โ
The words “gentleman” and “perhaps” go a long way in this comment, and Mr. Higgins was kind enough to immediately make Mr. Johnson look like a soulless apologist, telling CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Johnson’s offensive He said he supports the comments. All true. You can post another controversial post tomorrow if you want. So we have freedom of speech. I say what I want to say. …It feels like something is stuck to the bottom of my boots. Just scrape it off and move on with your life. โ
OPINION: Trump is eager to debate Harris. Republicans, do you really want this person?
First of all, Congressman Higgins, get lost. Seriously. You’re like something stuck in the sole of America’s boot, and hopefully the voters will find a way to chip away at you sooner or later.
But the point here isn’t the clearly stupid Rebel Gauge racist rant, but rather the ease with which Republicans forgive the monster in their midst.
The list of racists and weirdos that Republicans excuse is long.
Being a Republican who supports Trump now means effortlessly forgiving the Clay Higgins of the world and their casual racism.
It read a report that North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson called himself a “black Nazi” on a porn site’s bulletin board and wrote, “I support Hitler over all the motherfuckers in Washington right now!” That’s what it means. And you said slavery wasn’t bad, but you don’t really care.
Mr. Trump has endorsed Mr. Robinson and has received Mr. Robinson’s support, and has not made a single statement disavowing the Republican gubernatorial candidate.
That means forgiving Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who made up racist claims that legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets.
That means forgive the confusion, intimidation, and hatred that has roiled Springfield in the wake of these insidious comments.
President Trump talks about deporting legal immigrants in hateful rant
That means you forgive Trump’s increasingly despicable and xenophobic lies, like this one in Thursday’s speech, once again targeting Springfield. They flooded the labor market with low-wage immigrants, often with a variety of backgrounds, including horrific criminal records, murder, and drug dealing, and many human traffickers, most of them women traffickers. He was a businessman. โ
That’s complete nonsense, and since the majority of Haitians in Springfield are legal immigrants, the idea of โโ”getting them out” means rounding up and deporting people who are legally in the country. means.
Will Republicans denounce that terrible rhetoric?
Of course not. Like anything else, it will be forgiven. In the worst case scenario, there may be some taunts from self-styled “moderates” who don’t like what Trump has done to the party, but they will still vote for Trump in November because the party comes first.
crime? no problem. Racism? no problem. That is today’s Republican Party.
If you’re a Trump-supporting Republican, you’re forgiving Trump’s 34 felony convictions. You excuse the fact that he is a convicted rapist and owes hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for business fraud.
You allow your party’s presidential candidate to spend the final weeks of the campaign selling flashy watches, coins, and other merchandise to line his own pockets and flee your party’s stronghold.
Opinion: J.D. Vance has been named the worst VP of all time! Sarah Palin crowns him, and his popularity is declining day by day.
You excuse yourself when your party’s presidential candidate questions Vice President Kamala Harris’ biracial identity and says she “happens to be black.”
You forgive when outlandish conspiracy theorists like Laura Loomer, who is closely associated with Trump, call Harris โDEI Shaniquaโ and hurl racist comments at her.
Excuses, excuses, excuses. Accept, accept, accept.
I think the Republican Party is a group of people who don’t make mistakes.
This is a party that tolerates intolerance of any kind. Its members, from Higgins to Vance to Trump to Loomer, have demonstrated this so many times that I don’t have room to mention it. They do this while pushing for laws targeting LGBTQ+ people and the very concept of diversity, banning books, and threatening teachers they deem too โwoke.โ
They accept humiliating and dehumanizing rhetoric as long as it serves their purpose, but then they have the audacity to hide behind faith and unilateral forgiveness.
Anything similar to any of these examples is unacceptable coming from the Democratic Party. If Harris refuses to disavow Democrats embroiled in pornography and Nazism scandals, Republicans will be screaming about it now and forever. Fox News headquarters will spontaneously combust with such intensity.
The Democratic Party is far from perfect, but it will never be the same. When a lawmaker is charged with a crime, whether it’s New York City Mayor Eric Adams or New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the party condemns them. Harris was appointed to replace Biden after Democratic voters and party officials were dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s campaign.
It’s doubtful that anything like that will happen in President Donald Trump’s Republican Party. It has become a gathering of people who can do no wrong, standing in constant judgment against those who refuse to bend the knee.
When deciding who is worth voting for, consider how much of an excuse that person, or the party behind them, is willing to make.
If it’s OK for a candidate to tell legal immigrants to “get their minds right and get out of this country,” that should tell you all you need to know.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Hupke on X (formerly Twitter). @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk