Now that Republican officials have finally taken long-overdue measures to condemn and diminish the power of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a new line of critique from the Left has emerged: Why not President Trump?
“They’re taking on King instead of taking on Trump. It’s safer,” wrote New York Times columnist Frank Bruni. “The sacrifice of one wretched bigot to atone for the indulgence of another; an opportunity for moral preening after so much moral surrender.”
Liberals have echoed Bruni’s sentiment, accusing Republicans of moral cowardice and diminishing the intentions of their denouncement of King. Not only is this a counterproductive line of inquiry — one that actually encourages political factions to remain mum on their unpalatable allies — but it also misses the very real difference between Trump and King.
Trump frequently uses language and expresses sentiments below not just the office of the presidency but that of civil society. He has made xenophobic remarks and doesn’t mind poking a stick at modern multiculturalism. That said, he is not a white supremacist, whereas Steve King has openly become one.
King has flirted with the neo-Nazi community, openly dog-whistling hints about the “14 words,” the credo of white nationalism. He has endorsed and met with white nationalist politicians abroad. He’s peddled the conspiracy theory about the replacement of the white race.
King hasn’t just said a few careless or offensive things or retweeted someone who later turned out to be a white supremacist. Rather, he’s become a full-blown racialist who questions racial equality and nakedly appeals to white nationalists for support, meeting with them and using their exact language. To place him in the same category as Trump is simply a category error.
This distinction matters, and not because there’s some good reason to exonerate Republicans, who too often fail to denounce Trump when he’s wrong. What’s at stake here is your view of your fellow citizens as well as your ability to debate with them. As many as 40 percent of Americans share Trump’s protectionism, not due to any racial animus but fear of impacted labor markets and cultural differences. Very, very few of them think like King, although that number is still too large.
The public should continue to hold the GOP’s feet to the fire and demand accountability from the Republican Party when Trump goes off on his tirades. But don’t make the mistake of conflating ignorance and casual cultural chauvinism with white supremacy.
