Toward the end of last night’s presidential debate, Trump was asked why it is that people seem to get punched in the face and pushed around and spat on and dragged to the ground with such alarming frequency at his rallies—and why those people so often seem to be black or brown or reporters. Trump answered that while he “certainly” does not condone violence, you can’t forget there are a lot of “bad dudes” out there who have it coming anyway.
The 2016 campaign has been a process of creeping realization and willful denial. But there is no need to speculate about the grotesqueries a Trump presidency would unleash. Just look at the streets of St. Louis this afternoon, outside a Trump rally: