opinion

EDITORIAL: Hate crimes up, thanks to Trump

As the 2016 presidential campaign unfolded, Donald Trump’s message of racism and xenophobia persisted, through his primary run and on into November and his victory over Hillary Clinton.

It should hardly surprise any of us that during that same period, New Jersey, and the entire nation, experienced a spike in bias and hate crimes.

That’s no coincidence. Trump’s rise empowered white supremacists and other hate groups who saw in Trump someone sympathetic to their cause — or at least willing to look the other way while bigots spewed their usual garbage.

Those 2016 numbers — the latest currently available — marked the reverse of an ongoing decline in hate crimes. In New Jersey, reports in 2015 had dropped by more than half — from 775 to 367 — since 2010, but jumped back up by nearly 14 percent in 2016. The national increase during Trump’s campaign year was 6 percent.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal didn’t name names, but in discussing the crime stats last week, he made it clear where he laid at least part of the blame. “It’s sad that we see bias incidents trending upward, but it’s not surprising, given that we have political leaders in this country who encourage the expression of intolerance and hatred, or in other cases, ignore or countenance it,” Grewal said.

He's not talking only about Trump, but he’s certainly talking about Trump. The president has continued his assault on immigrants, with travel bans and deportation squads and a series of policy ideas aimed at reducing immigrant influence — legal and illegal — on American society. When a car slammed into a group of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump couldn’t bring himself to condemn the hate groups, instead targeting the “bad people” on the other side.

After incidents like that, why wouldn’t white supremacists feel empowered?

What isn’t entirely clear is how Trump’s supporters feel about that. On issue after issue, they counter critics with a conservative perspective that more often than not extends to denials and spin. Trump’s petty recklessness is ruining our international standing? No, it’s not. They just know Trump means business. Tax cuts sticking it to New Jersey? Tough love. Maybe Blue Jersey will listen and try to erase its fiscal sins. Killing the environment by pretending climate change is a hoax? It is a hoax, they say.

Trump’s always three steps ahead of the rest of us. That what his fans say.

But racism? Xenophobia? Misogyny? They’re all part of Trump’s toxic brew, and a fair portion of the president’s base embraces those characteristics. They won’t deny them, or pretend they’re anything but what they seem to be. They want that from their president, and Trump continues to deliver.

Maybe those 2016 numbers are just a blip. They’re still far below nearly a decade ago. Other factors could be involved. But if we’ve learned anything from the Trump era, it’s that presidential excesses have a broad and disturbing reach.