You Knew

Yes, Republicans, you knew.

You knew when you let Trump run on your party’s ticket that he was a proven liar who had cheated workers out of their pay, bilked students through his fake university, and a used funds from his “charitable foundation” to pay personal debts.

You knew he was an abhorrent bigot, a racist, a misogynist; a man so lacking common decency, he openly mocked the disabled.

You knew he was a divider who incited violence between citizens at his own rallies.

You knew he was a self-serving, ego-driven narcissist who had no regard for the country, and was absolutely devoid of the intelligence and the character necessary to fulfill the duties of the presidency.

You knew all of this – and more. These things were not hidden; on the contrary, they were on full display from the day Trump announced his presidential run.

And yet you supported him, encouraged your party members to vote for him, and elected him to the most powerful position on the planet.

Since then, you have defended him as he distances us from our allies, puts incompetent people in positions of power, and threatens nuclear conflagration. You even stood silent when he accused his predecessor, President Obama, of committing a felony with no evidence whatsoever.

You have excused his idiotic tweets; you have tried to reason away his apparent stupidity, and you have attempted to cover-up his obvious mental incompetence.

Over the past few days, we have heard a number of Republicans speak out against the events in Charlottesville. They expressed their “disappointment” that Trump did not immediately denounce the actions of white supremacists, KKK adherents, and neo-Nazis. And now today, Trump literally defended those groups and has tried to shift the blame to those Americans who stood-up to the hatred and bigotry they represent.

The words of Republicans, whether heartfelt (or, more likely, borne of political convenience) are falling on deaf ears. You knew it would eventually come to this. You knew how divisive Trump was while you cheered him into the Oval Office. You knew he never hesitated to encourage violence between citizens, and sow the seeds of discord.

You knew. And feigning "shock and surprise" that the rhetoric of the racist, bigoted idiot you elected to our highest office would result in events like we saw in Charlottesville is, to put it bluntly, beyond credible.

There is no coming back from this. There are no actions Trump can take that will undo the damage done. There are no statements he can make that will erase the words he spoke today.

There are only two roads open to you now. You can take the necessary steps to remove this Nazi-KKK-white supremacist-defender from office, or you can stand with him and have your party forever associated with bigotry and racism. Your choice, your call.

But don’t insult the intelligence of the American people by pretending you didn’t know exactly who and what Trump was before the events of the past weekend. Don’t stand there, slack-jawed, acting surprised that he has now shown himself to be what you knew him to be all along.

You knew. And the whole country knows it.