Republicans Give Trump’s Bigotry a Free Pass

Jonathan Bernstein: “The good news is that public opinion surveys since Trump became president show a solid shift against his bigotry; in fact, support for immigration has surged. One can support or oppose immigration regardless of animus toward any particular group. But Trump has, from the start of his campaign, made clear that his immigration policies are indeed based on bigotry. That’s probably one of the main reasons he’s been so unpopular throughout his presidency.”

“The bad news is that it’s highly likely that the closer the president comes to explicit racism, the more the minority of hardcore bigots who support him will feel emboldened. Even his less prejudiced supporters may find themselves drifting toward uglier beliefs. It’s bad for a president to hold those views, but much worse for him to express them publicly.”

“The even worse news is that Republicans in a position to do something about this – members of Congress, other elected officials, staffers within the administration – went silent on Sunday.”

Mike Allen: “Trump is all-in on us-versus-them politics and does not care if he occasionally crosses the line into racism. Trump allies expect this to get worse, not better.”

The Guardian: Republicans silent as Trump renews attack on leftwing congresswomen.