There are pros and cons to Donald Trump. Both sides of his rise in American politics make serious arguments about his impact. That’s not the debate here.
What concerns me is Trump’s continued and accelerating assault on civility. Trump refuses to project the norms of a respectful society in what is supposed to be the United States of America. No topic is immune. No space is spared. Nothing is off limits, not even Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day used to be a space of common ground. We all have mothers. We’re supposed to slow down for a moment, express gratitude, and remember the people who carried us into the world. It was a kind of civic respite. A day to put down the political weapons and recognize something deeper that we all share.
But instead, this was Trump’s Mother’s Day message:
“Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country. Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
I don’t know whether Trump truly believes all this divisive rhetoric or simply understands that outrage keeps him permanently at the center of attention. Either way, it works politically. It energizes supporters and enrages opponents. Trump may be the most naturally gifted mass communicator of our era.
But there’s serious collateral damage.
Over time, this kind of language changes our American culture itself. We stop having opponents and instead have enemies. We stop debating ideas and start attacking motives and character. Every disagreement becomes moral warfare. Every issue becomes existential. Every holiday becomes another battlefield.
That’s dangerous for a diverse nation trying to remain united.
To be fair, Trump didn’t invent all of this. Social media rewards outrage. Cable news profits from emotional escalation. Politicians on all sides increasingly speak to their own tribes instead of to the country as a whole. Trump simply mastered the environment better than anyone else. The platform was already burning. He just handed out the dynamite.
Still, when a president constantly speaks in terms of enemies, lunatics, fascists and people who “hate America,” it sets a tone for the broader public. Especially for younger Americans who are learning how adults are supposed to behave in disagreement.
The days of “reaching across the aisle” now sound almost naïve. We increasingly view compromise itself as weakness. Civility is mocked as surrender. Restraint is treated as cowardice. Being rude, offensive and belligerent increasingly gets mistaken for strength, patriotism and masculinity.
The rest of the world isn’t pausing while America exhausts itself fighting internally. Technology advances. Competition intensifies. Nations build. How long can America lead while spending so much of its energy tearing itself apart?
And yet.
I’ve watched this valley for 23 years. In that time, Santa Clarita has worked through its own difficulties and disagreements and come out the other side — becoming one of the safest, most opportunity-rich communities in California. In that same 23 years, I’ve watched our national discourse collapse into weaponized name-calling and tribal warfare. Same country. Same era. Two very different choices.
Santa Clarita wasn’t built by treating neighbors as enemies. It was built by people compromising, building, adjusting and continuing forward together. Ninety percent of us want 90% of the same things for our families. We collaborate. We respect one another. We pull together regardless of the noise coming from Washington. It works. We’re living proof.
The common ground that national politics increasingly turns into a battlefield? It still exists. You just have to look closer to home to find it.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
— Abraham Lincoln.
In places like Santa Clarita, we still remember how to stand, live, build and prosper together.
Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
