At long last, has Trump no sense of decency?

May 6, 2016 • 9:15 am

Get a load of this from Donald Trump’s Twi**er page. Yes, it’s real.

Has he no sense of irony, at long last? After calling Mexicans criminals, rapists, and thugs, and proposing that the U.S. build a 1000-mile long border wall, financed by Mexico (!), Trump shows his real love of Hispanics by eating a fricking taco bowl! I wouldn’t call that cultural appropriation; I’d call it hypocrisy. I can’t remember another Presidential candidate that would post something this risible.

Some wags have pointed out that what he meant was that Hispanics were an ingredient in his lunch. And there’s been the expected response:

And this from a Republican political consultant:

See more here.

91 thoughts on “At long last, has Trump no sense of decency?”

    1. Yes.
      which country, by the way? There are a lot of contenders.

  6. Donald Trump used an escalator when he announced he was running and he still managed to convince voters that Jeb Bush was the one with low energy.

      1. you had fries – you must love your Peruvian. (Other Incan-derived nationalities are available for cultural appropriation.)

  10. Has anyone seen the reports that The Donald’s taco bowl is sitting on top of a magazine with a bikini photo of his EX-WIFE, Marla Maples? It made me wonder whether he has his pants on under the table (sorry for that visual).

  11. Political scientists, historians, pundits, and journalists have tried to explain Trump’s appeal. They have provided various descriptions of Trump voters. They are racists, authoritarians, anti-immigrants, populists, economically distressed, and almost all white. Future historians and political scientists will produce many books and articles trying to analyze what has been going on during this particular election. What is clear to me is that his supporters view Trump as their savior, the man on the white horse, the proto-fascist that through the power of his will all their problems will be solved. “Trumpism” is fantasy based and a profound threat to democracy. That’s why Trump must be defeated and why Sanders supporters who will not vote for Clinton live in their own dream world and could conceivably cost Clinton the election.

    But we must not believe that even if Trump should be defeated all will be well. His supporters will continue to nurse their grievances. The American political system will continue to be deadlocked and polarized. The economic condition of millions of Americans will continue to be uncertain at best. The search for scapegoats will still be pursued. All this adds up to is a very cloudy future where the stresses on democracy will continue to grow with politically motivated violence more common.

    Using an historical analogy to explain the present is fraught with danger. Nevertheless, my mind often wanders to Germany in the early 1930s. I wish it wouldn’t, but I can’t shake the thoughts

    1. I think rather more like Italy in the early 20s. He even juts out his chin like Mussolini. Good thing he’s not actually smart enough to organize his squadristi.

      1. “Good thing he’s not actually smart enough to organize his squadristi.”

        He could hire someone who is.

          1. Has.
            Thoroughly used sphincter he may be, but that doesn’t mean that he’s an idiot.

      2. I really don’t think he’s stupid. He knows how to play to the electoral audience. Ali Rizvi had a lot of very interesting observations about him on this. Nonetheless I think he would be an awful president and its a bad sign for US democracy.

        1. I don’t think he’s stupid either, and we should be careful not to underestimate him. He’s uninformed about many subjects, and he’s ignorant; those things make him appear stupid at times, but he’s not. Whether he’s as intelligent as he himself believes is another matter.

    2. I have been trying to figure out his appeal as well. I have been thinking that the Republicans and Fox News have been spewing hatred and prejudice for so long that they have been hoist upon their own petard. It seems like too easy an explanation, but I have no other one right now. Maybe it is simple as the entire field of candidates was so ridiculously weak, that his nomination was inevitable.

      The truly scary thing is that he might actually become our next President. Hillary is obviously a better choice, but she carries substantial baggage and doesn’t seem to have the flair needed to excite people.

      1. “Hillary is obviously a better choice, ”

        I think large portions of the electorate identify too heavily to their party affiliation that they can’t objectively look at the merit of the candidates.

        I remember once that when I told my mother that I had voted for the Democratic candidate, she said “Democrats are so low-class.”

        I was talking to a guy the other day who is gay, but he was trying to defend his Republicanism. My guess is that because he didn’t acknowledge his gayness until late in life, he hadn’t yet been able to realign his group loyalty with his new set of values.

        1. I hang on to the fact that in the past there was a large core of moderate Americans who were ‘swing voters’. They can vote R or D, depending on who they dislike the least. I hope this is not an outdated view.

          1. I think it is way outdated. Twenty years ago, I would have said that I would have voted for the better candidate. The other day, someone said that to me and I thought “how naive!”

            You’re not buying a candidate, you’re buying an ideology and the individual merits of the candidate are almost irrelevant.

            That’s why I have some sympathy for those willing to vote for Trump. I keep wondering to myself if I would vote for him if he were the Democratic candidate. Probably so, if he were running against someone like Cruz.

          2. I keep wondering to myself if I would vote for him if he were the Democratic candidate. Probably so, if he were running against someone like Cruz.

            I couldn’t. He is xenophobic, misogynistic and bigoted to begin with. Also, His spewings match what the Republicans have spewed for 7+ years – he matches them. The Democrats ideology would not support him. Trump vs Cruz? I would vote neither.

          3. Not voting might make you feel better, but it’s still a vote for one or the other candidate. Not to say that feeling better isn’t a good goal….

          4. I would vote neither.

            Not voting means you can’t complain about who you get. Even a spoiled ballot (writing “none of the above” would constitute a spoilt paper here ; how it works in the US, I don’t know) shows some reaction to the politics of the race, even if the reaction is projectile vomiting.

          5. Alas, the notion that there are large number of Americans who are independent voters is basically a myth. Most so-called independents are actually strongly aligned with a political party. This article explains.

            http://cookpolitical.com/story/6608

          1. It’d be a good thing for the country to see a thorough Trump smackdown.

      2. “Republicans and Fox News have been spewing hatred and prejudice for so long that they have been hoist upon their own petard.”

        That’s how I see it. Faust

    3. His appeal is to the lowest common denominator of the frustrated white supremist good ole boys (and girls) who can’t get a high-paying job anymore because the neglected to get an education.

      And his appeal is, in fact, very similar to Hitler’s appeal to the Germans of the 1930s. (Though they had a genuine economic crisis and we do not.)

    4. America invented Trump. It’s as simple as that. He is what they want. I can say they as I am completely out of touch with news, TV, current events, and the gladitorial activities in professional US sports.

  12. During the GW Bush years, I was thinking, it can’t get much worse than this.

    I was so wrong.

    1. I was pretty sure at the time we hadn’t reached peak stupidity of the conservative movement, because the utter folly of their policies had not been made clear even to the most obtuse.

      I would speculate that after WWII, the German population moved left politically.

  13. He loves Hispanics. The bad things he said were about Mexicans. In his mind, they are totally different things.

  15. Reportedly the Trump Tower Grill doesn’t even actually serve taco bowls. I guess his claim is *puts on sunglasses* trumped up.

    YEAH!!!!!!! (*The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again plays*)

  16. To answer the question, no, I don’t think he has any sense of decency.

    On another note, is that his office? it seems a lot smaller, messier, and less gold than I would have imagined.

    1. Also, not very high. I thought important people had offices high up.

  19. Trump attributes: Sociopath, Narcissist, Egotist, Pathological liar, Misogynist, Xenophobe, Racist, Ignorant, Bully, Blowhard, Offensive, Neanderthal thug, Runs his mouth not brain, Talks like an 8 year old, False Christian, No actual policies, No substance.

    Other than that, I wouldn’t mind drinking a beer with him…oh wait – I can’t stand beer.

  20. Not surprising at all. I expected him to act as though he never meant any of the bigoted things he said. His hard core supporters will assume he’s saying what he needs to say to win the general election, and before he’s done backpedaling many who previously didn’t support him will be convinced he’s much more moderate than he “pretended to be to get the nomination.
    Unfortunately I think Trump has a better than 50/50 chance of being our next president.

    1. There is always the possibility that he is an opportunist with more savvy than he’s given credit for. Could be that he really doesn’t believe half the shit he says and is just playing to the demographic he has identified as most susceptible to manipulation.

      Those who discount his chances against Clinton are fooling themselves IMO. Clinton is very vulnerable to attack.

      1. Clinton has been under attack for, how many decades now?

        Trump is the newby. I’m certain the DNC has been busy researching and compiling some wonderful Drumpf highlights videos for airing as soon as he’s chosen by the dopes.

  22. Rachel Maddow, some time ago, said she thought Trump was faking it. He didn’t really want to become president. I think incidents like the above are evidence in her favor.

      1. When did GOP last have a credible candidate? My memory is not *that* long…

      2. My guess is he will fake it all the way through to inevitable defeat in the general election. Then he’ll step out of politics and start a trashy TV channel to display his talents as a clown.

    2. As much as I hope this is the case, I doubt it… It would be hilarious though, to see people’s reactions.

  23. Trump knows how to get free publicity, and this is a thumb in the eye of Hillary, considering how Bill has behaved.

    Really, this kind of thing gets him millions of dollars worth of press coverage at no cost, and doesn’t negatively impress his supporters at all.

    Partly because they enjoy seeing the press manipulated.

    1. You cannot win the US general election by appealing to this small class of “the less-educated” [and white] piece of the electorate, while insulting all others.

  24. Not surprisingly the Full Frontal female has the Trump Frump covered in the manual department.

    Q: How does Trump sign checks?
    A: With a hard pen… stamp.

  25. Social media reports that the Trump Tower Grill neither serves taco bowls nor has them on their menu. They suggest people phone ALL Trump-owned restaurants, hotels, and casinos to discover where and if his enterprises actually make taco bowls. In fact every questionable Trump statements should be verified with calls.
    As one candidate said, this is politics, and politics is not a spectator sport.

      1. I meant that politics is a spectator sport in Louisiana. The proposed Trump Tower here went kaput several years ago, and I believe the investors lost their shirt.

  26. Ugh.

    And I’ve always thought that a bit of open-mindedness and lots of food from all concerned is a good way to see how we are different, and the same.

  27. I would bet that not a single morsel of that taco made it to his mouth. As soon as the photo was taken it would have been “Consuela, get this crap outa here before it rapes my tongue and steals my wallet and starts claiming welfare. Bring me a steak. Oh, I got steaks, the best steaks, amazing steaks, lots of steaks. And fries. American fries, not those French crap. Err…..France is in Mexico, right? See, I got geography, the best……..”

  28. I picture a President Trump (shudder) greeting a foreign leader in much the same way the idiot farmer welcomes the aliens in the old Far Side cartoon: grabbing the alien leader by his hand-shaped head and shaking vigorously. And then smiling and waving while not realizing he just doomed us to nuclear annihilation.

  31. Mukherjee is defending himself. Go check twitter.

    And he is presenting evidence too apparently.

  32. Having had “Mexican” precisely once, I don’t know the answer, but is that dish actually in the slightest sense “Mexican”? (Does that question actually mean anything?)

  33. I can hardly believe the clutter in Trump’s office…what a slob. If I had that much disposable income, my office would look immaculate.

    Eating Brats and beer tonight. I love the Germans! 🐬

  35. Just before Trump posted that on Twitter, I watched an interview he did with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Blitzer asked him if he had any messages for the Mexicans for Cinco de Mayo. Trump sort of shrugged his shoulders and wouldn’t answer – he obviously didn’t know what it was and didn’t know whether he should respond in a positive or negative way. He must have looked it up after the interview and thought, “Ah ha! This is a way I can get some Hispanics to vote for me,” in his usual tone deaf way that appeals to those who have voted for him so far.

  36. I like a good Reuben, I love Jews!
    I guess it would be bad form to say I really do not like the racist Donald.

  37. I’m very disappointed by both PCC(E)’s remarks and the lack of correction. Trump as far as I have seen made comments about illegal immigrants from Mexico, not Mexicans in general. This distinction is elementary.

    The mainstream and left media, which verge on open borders attitudes on immigration, have distorted his comments in service to that wider agenda by characterizing it as an attack on all Hispanics, which is disturbing on multiple levels.

    In the spirit of the rationalism and empiricism most of us share I ask someone to back this claim about Trump by providing bigoted remarks about Mexicans in general.

    I am very much disturbed by Trump’s candidacy, but I am also disturbed by how immigration propaganda is such a powerful force, almost like religion.

    1. You make a very good point. Trump’s language is carefully chosen to provide a certain level of deniability. He is clearly a kind of genius in the use of innuendo to not say what people hear. His most famous statement is:

      “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

      Nowhere in that can you nail him down as anything but a reasonable advocate of strong boarder control. However, it’s pretty clear that he sculpted the statement to draw in as many xenophobes as possible. He plays to emotion (mainly fear) rather than rationality.

    2. There’re lots of videos available on the net where he seemingly indiscreetly shoots off his mouth. But it’s manipulative. Clearly he’s lacking in sensitivity, decency and good judgement, and he doesn’t give a whit. How hard is it to adequately qualify one’s hardhitting and inflammatory statements, from the get go? He’s in it to win it, anyway he can and saying anything that comes to mind; he lacks integrity and intellectual honesty. Would you say the things he’s said, in the way he’s phrased them? We ought not to dismiss these things as not somewhat reflective of a warped worldview. He does speak with a warped mind and a forked tongue. Totally untrustworthy.

      http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/07/donald-trump-attacks-goofy-elizabeth-warren-in-victory-speech
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaz1J0s-cL4

      1. I asked for proof of a specific claim and no has been forthcoming.

        I thought I made clear that I don’t support Trump and agree with what you write. And no, I would not ise Trump’s phrasing.

        Doesn’t it disturb you seeing a false accusation being repeated in the media? When Trump is a distant memory, what impact will that have on American democracy?

        1. I’ve been away so late getting back to you. It’s difficult to find definitive proof when bigotry is often carefully shrouded. So I’m afraid you won’t find proof when Trump is a master at backtracking. Just be aware of this court case:
          https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-governments-racial-bias-case-against-donald-trumps-company-and-how-he-fought-it/2016/01/23/fb90163e-bfbe-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html

          IMO, anyone who exploits the racial, cultural and gender biases of his supporters in as offensive a way as Trump has is worse than a bigot.

    3. Spot on Victoria.

      My bf has been researching Trump, and he has learned that Trump is speaking out only against illegal immigrants – which is why he so “strangely” has the support of legal immigrants.

      And I don’t trust Hillary one bit. She is owned by big business and is pro TPP, anti net neutrality and a whole host of awful things. She gets donations from Saudi Arabia ffs…

      1. Why should your bf need to do research to figure out what Trump really meant? If his supporters and much of the population takes him as a racist, why hasn’t he taken the opportunity to disabuse us of that error?

  39. (Sorry for the length, I tried to keep this to a minimum.)

    “After calling Mexicans criminals, rapists, and thugs”

    This never happened. I admit I fell for it also, because “everyone” knows he said it. But the fact is that this lie comes from a dedicated campaign of misinformation from the media.

    The ACTUAL point Trump was making is that a SUBSET of the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from Mexico are drug runners, rapists, and criminals. This is simply a matter of fact. (Some) liberals are freaking out because it’s easier to mischaracterize this as “racist” rather than work to fix the problem (and unless you’re an SJW, FACTS cannot be racist).

    But to break it down more:
    (1) I don’t think I need to address the drugs aspect, as we should all be familiar with the Mexican drug cartels. They do use illegal immigrants to smuggle drugs though.

    (2) And I also assume I need not discuss crime here, because I expect we all know that crime is generally significantly elevated among people with low socioeconomic status.

    (3) Rape is just a subset of crime, and specifically, is also known to be elevated among people with said status. We could leave it at that, but Mexico DOES specifically have a problem with sexual violence. This is a CULTURAL, not RACIAL problem, as Mexicans themselves will say:

    Women in Mexico stand up against sexual violence #NoTeCalles

    But let’s talk specifically about the subset of Mexicans who are involved in illegal immigration – I don’t just mean the illegal immigrants themselves, I also am referring to the coyotaje, the cartels, and others involved in the people-smuggling.

    A commonly cited example on this issue is that Central American women, travelling through Mexico, are highly likely to be raped. Amnesty International reported in 2010 that 60% of them were raped; more recently, Fusion reported that number to be 80%. And while, obviously, the rapists themselves are not specifically the illegal immigrants who come here, trying to pretend that rape is not a very serious problem in this population is dishonest and unhelpful of left-leaning media outlets.

    These are desperate people, these are poor people, and these are people coming from a culture with a sexual assault problem. And these factors are predictive of criminal activities, including rape. And that is all that Trump was alluding to.

    Not saying Trump is a saint, and he is certainly trying to be “edgy” in order to get free press. But actual racism is simply not present.

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