I’ve had several personal encounters with “Trump Conservatives” in the past several weeks which have left me disturbed. The encounters have all reveled in quick stab rhetoric, and gloried in causing hurt in their targets. There was no acknowledgment of shared heritage, common interest, or even mutual faith. There was only the attack, and the glee of knowing there was nothing I could do to prevent them from attacking.

I’ve found “zero sum” Progressives difficult to deal with in the past ¹, but what I’m experiencing with these Trumpite attacks is something different. There’s no desire to not have conflict, there is only “F**k you, this is ours.” My most recent encounter even invoked the political strength of Evangelicals as a way of shutting down avenues of conversation.

I’m finding this growing absence of empathy for people who aren’t in the group, combined with a toxic blend of nationalism with Christian religious language, to be what’s really alarming. Ugly doesn’t quite describe it.

Demonic does.

What we’re seeing isn’t healthy, and it’s not Christian. It’s just evil.