Trump’s credibility on hate speech is nonexistent

Double standards are not new to Donald Trump and his administration. He’s now publicly calling for the comedian, Samantha Bee, to be fired from her job for calling Ivanka the C word. Fair enough! It’s his daughter and he should be outraged.
However, it has also been reliably reported that Trump himself has used that same offensive term to refer to Sally Yates, the former deputy attorney general, whom he fired last year. He has invited the musician, Ted Nugent, to the White House and into the Oval Office. Nugent was a 2016 supporter, who often appeared at Trump campaign rallies. Nugent was fond of and frequently called Hillary Clinton the C word too. Trump cannot have it both ways. It is a disgusting hateful word no matter which woman is the target and regardless who uses it, be it a supporter, a critic, or even the president of the United States!
Why does Trump continue to remain silent over Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet? Is it not repugnant and evil to him to compare former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape because she happens to be African-American? Trump claims he is not a racist. How can the American public believe him when he has previously referred to the protesting nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., as “very fine people.” Those words only served to further empower the hatemongers.
The fact is Trump’s credibility on this issue is nonexistent. It is not sheer coincidence that hate crimes against African-Americans, Jews, Muslims and Latinos have dramatically increased since Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and his taking office in January 2017. Racism and hate remain racism and hate regardless of the victims to whom it is directed.
President Trump has a moral obligation to use his bully pulpit to denounce this twisted behavior, whenever it occurs, and to whomever it is directed. Trump must clearly set the example, by separating himself completely from the merchants of hate, including those who claim to be some of his most ardent supporters. He needs to finally step away from the fantasy that America is now great again and step up to the task of working to heal a deeply divided nation. It is not enough to settle for making his base happy if Donald Trump wants to truly be the president of all the people.
Carl Haberl
Washington