Ugliness, hate in our world — and from our president

We’re nearly at a loss for words. There is so much ugliness, so much hate in our world right now that it hurts. And what hurts the most is that in a time when we need understanding and healing and justice, the worst of the ugliness and hatred is coming from our Commander in Chief.

Many will disagree with us. That’s fine. But we can’t be silent when the president of the United States applauds armed militia storming state capitols one week and sics militarized police on peaceful protestors the next.

In April, Trump supported armed protests in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia that demanded stay-at-home orders lifted and businesses opened with tweets declaring “LIBERATE!” In response to the gun-toting, unmasked protestors, he tweeted, “These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely!”

But when peaceful demonstrations were staged across the nation to protest police violence, Trump called protestors “THUGS” and taunted governors for not using military force sooner. He tweeted, “Today, I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets.”

According to the Associated Press, “Trump’s advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.”

It was like his advisor’s walked out of that meeting and decided to take their mother’s advice: If he can’t say anything nice, don’t let him say anything at all.

Finally, on Monday, Trump gave a press conference in the Rose Garden. As he declared himself “President of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters,” Secret Service and other law enforcement officers were using teargas and rubber bullets on a peaceful protest in Lafayette Park.

A firsthand account from a rector of St. John’s Episcopal church tells of street medics set up on the church patio. All day, people had come by needing nothing more than snacks and water — but the medics and volunteers had eye washes and other supplies ready just in case. And then long about the time Trump proclaimed, “We must never give in to anger or hatred. If malice or violence reigns, then none of us is free,” the first of the teargassed demonstrators stumbled onto the patio.

And they just kept coming. Blinded by teargas, bruised from rubber bullets, the peaceful protestors poured onto the patio, pushed there by armed and armored law enforcement.

And then they were pushed off the patio. Terrorized with weapons until they were several blocks away from the church. All this just moments before Trump closed his address with “Thank you very much. And now I’m going to pay my respects to a very, very special place.”

A peaceful protest met with violence at the behest of a leader who pandered “never giv[ing] into hatred or malice.” The world has never seemed so ugly or hateful as it did when President Trump smiled for cameras, waving a Bible on the steps of the very same church where protestors had been brutalized.