In the spring of 2016, I was hosting a talk radio program in Kansas City. During this time a reality TV show host named Donald Trump was starting to make some big inroads in his campaign to be president.  Thousands were showing up at his rallies and cable news stations were covering him like a rock star.  

It was tough being a moderate on that radio station when all the other programs were syndicated conservative shows like Sean Hannity and Michael Savage.  Most of the station’s audience was right wing and I was outnumbered. 

Personally, I was leaning towards the more traditional Republicans in the primary. I saw Trump more as a novelty, but I wanted to understand just what was going on.  

I asked my listeners this question…“What are you seeing in Donald Trump that I’m not seeing?” 

The calls came in fast and furious.  Some of them even agreed with me, but most of the callers were not only fans of Donald Trump, but enthusiastic fans.  

One of the answers to my question has stayed with me after all these years.  The caller said that he supported Trump because “He can say the things that we can’t say.”  I asked him what those things were, but he was unwilling to tell me.  

I wonder if he’d be willing to tell me what those things are today.

Last Friday our president said one of those things out loud and clear when he posted an image of former president Barack Obama and his lovely wife Michelle as apes.  

It was up for a while but after there was backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, it was taken down.  At first the administration admitted that the president had posted it, then later blamed it on one of his staff.  

But there was no apology. Nothing to show that the president was remorseful for the racist post showing up under his name.  If it was the fault of a staff member, he wasn’t named and evidently wasn’t fired.  Donald Trump once again said the things others couldn’t say. 

But after years of a Trump presidency, he has unfortunately now given many of those people the courage to say those things. 

I rarely listen to AM talk radio anymore, so I didn’t hear what, if anything those hosts were saying about it.  It wouldn’t surprise me if they were trying to find ways to defend it, to blame it on the media, or just ignore it all together like it didn’t happen. 

But it did happen.

While I didn’t listen to AM talk radio or watch Fox news last Friday, I did see what many Trump supporters were saying online, and it hurt my heart.  

Many were saying that the media only showed a part of the total video that had a Lion King theme. I guess they felt that having AI show Trump as the king of the jungle while showing AOC as a donkey, or Hillary Clinton as a wildebeest, makes it OK to show the Obama’s as apes. 

A few Republicans have spoken out against this video only to be attacked by MAGA leaders like Laura Loomer.  When Tim Scott, the only Republican African American in the Senate condemned Trump’s post, Loomer attacked him.  Brigitte Gabriel attacked any Republican that had a problem with it, saying that she stands with the president and he did nothing wrong.  

So if it wasn’t obvious before, the Trump post, the lack of an apology, and the strong defense from the president’s supporters, prove that if you’re not a racist, you’re not a true Republican.  You are officially a RINO.  

This president has emboldened many Americans worst instincts.  Whether it’s racism, defending pedophiles, or accepting the creeping authoritarian government.

While Donald Trump is giving racists permission to say things they never would have said out loud years ago, he’s also made many Republican representatives and voters who would never condone something like that in the past, afraid to speak out against it now.  I’m not saying that every Republican or Trump voter is a racist.  But I have to wonder why so many of those people are not speaking out against his racist post.  Why so many non-racist Trump supporters can quietly accept this. 

One other thing a caller said to me that day on the radio.  He said that he liked Trump because it was “good reality TV.”  I pointed out that it was not reality TV, but it was reality.  

And this reality is surreal.  

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.