In the last few days following the horrific shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, politicians have predictably called for us to “come together” and enlisted the tired talking point that good leaders can “bring people together” following tragedies.

However pleasant such rhetoric may sound, the inconvenient truth remains that “bringing people together” is nothing more than fluff that is impossible to achieve in practice. This might seem cynical, but it is an unfortunate reality that predates the rise of President Trump.