When A Fascist Tells You Who He Is...
Believe him the first time, and build something better...
This weekend, Donald Trump told a crowd of cheering supporters that migrants “are not people,” that they are animals, and deserve to be rounded up like animals. “We’re going to have the largest deportation effort in history,” he promised, while describing his plan to put millions of our neighbors into detention camps. At a different rally on Saturday, he instructed thousands to stand and salute the white supremacists arrested for terrorizing our nation’s Capital on January 6th. I know that the news has largely become numb to the former President’s rhetoric, but we must pay attention to how the fascism he used to wink at has become the overt message of his campaign. When Trump tells us he is a white supremacist; when he describes his fascist agenda; when he calls humans looking for sanctuary “animals”—we had better hear and believe!
This is how dehumanization works: It gradually escalates its rhetoric bit by bit, so each fresh horror doesn’t seem that much worse than the last, as it guides believers toward deeper extremism. But truly sit with these details. He’s brazenly praising folks who, at his orders, tried to overthrow the government and hang the Vice President. And he has the blessing of an entire political party, with all its power. While he made these remarks, an active Governor and Senator sat just feet away. When he tells a mob that undocumented neighbors are animals, violence will follow. The point and function of saying, “those people aren’t people,” is to make killing “those people” acceptable.
My great Uncle George Jordan worked with Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer to register poor folks in Mississippi to vote, so, yes, I believe in the power of the ballot. But I don’t uncritically follow anyone; democracy demands our critique and engagement. I’ve been very open about how horrified I am by the foreign policy decisions the Biden Administration has made in Gaza, in particular. But we do not have the luxury of pretending that both parties are “the same” when one of them is promising to “round up millions of animals.” We simply don’t.
But we also cannot reduce our aspirations to “not Donald Trump.” Fascism is effective because it portrays a clear vision of the world to its followers. We must be equally clear in our values, and in our vision for the nation we want. Right now, Democratic leadership is wildly inconsistent. Last weekend, Mayor Adams made an agreement to limit stays in NYC shelters for single adults to just 30 days—blaming migrants for a policy that will harm all New Yorkers as unhoused neighbors are forced onto the streets and subways.
Christians have a role to play, here. While it is true that the Bible is conflicted about many things, it is powerfully consistent about two things:
Every human being is made in God’s image. 100%. Every single one.
We are morally and ethically bound to welcome the stranger—migrants—and care for them as we would want to be cared for.
This isn’t up for debate or interpretation. If we want to follow God, we must follow the dozens of commands to, among other things, “have one set of laws for your foreign- and native-born.” (Leviticus 14:22) And that certainly means that when Christian nationalists abuse our faith to call God’s beloved children “animals,” we are obligated to reject this grotesque idolatry.
But here’s the thing: The command to welcome migrants, to help them integrate into our culture, isn’t a burden we must carry. It’s an invitation into the mutual flourishing that God dreams for all of us. If we make it easier for migrant neighbors to get work permits, they’ll accept jobs at any of the countless stores flashing “Help Wanted” signs. Brought out of the shadows, they’ll pay taxes to improve our social systems and spend their money at local businesses. Their stories will be woven into the fabric of our nation just as the stories of immigrants in the past have formed our multiethnic culture. But beyond economic benefit, we also have so much to learn from migrant neighbors!
These are folks who have traveled thousands of miles, often braving unimaginable hardships, in search of a better life. As was true for the millions who have migrated to our “land of the free; home of the brave,” the wisdom, courage, and determination, alone, that such a journey requires enriches our country. And the cultures they bring with them are part of what makes life worth living! We are made increasingly whole when we form relationships across difference, letting other people’s lived experiences shape our own. Moreover, multiculturalism is an antidote to the fascist violence that Trump is preaching. When we know people, and become invested in their lives, it creates a sense of mutual belonging. It casts out the loneliness and isolation that white supremacists feed upon to nurture fear, replacing separation with community. We must love our neighbor enough to fight for them.
How do we get to this kind of beloved community? By living into it. In just over one month, I’ll be gathering with hundreds of people from all over the country to create a space for rest, organizing, and collective dreaming. Freedom Rising: You. Move. The World. will gather people invested in these values to root in them more deeply. Find comfort in yoga, meditation or breathwork. Connect with grassroots leaders to build power in the lead up to November’s elections. Learn from some of the wisest spiritual teachers, like Cole Arthur Riley, Valarie Kaur and Bishop William J. Barber II about how we’ll ignite a spiritual revolution.
And we’re particularly honored to feature Adama Bah. Bah is the founder of Afrikana—an immigrant advocacy organization in Harlem—and the author of Accused: My Story of Injustice. She’ll talk about ongoing efforts to resource migrants who arrive in New York City. We’ll also hear from Middle members Edna Benitez and Sam Penix, who have been helping to organize the EarthChxrch Warming Center where Middle members have been volunteering to help our newest neighbors. So get your ticket today and let’s transform this country beyond violence, toward God’s abundant welcome.
HE DID. Believe him, and act accordingly. Do not elect the end of our democracy.
He already told us he was a white supremacist when he knowingly called a Latina, two Black women, a Palestinian woman and two Jewish men “savages.”