On Thanksgiving Day, November 27^th, 2025, President Trump said: Tim Walz “The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both.” 

His word choice was widely criticized as insensitive, crass and offensive.  

Three days later, Trump was questioned by a reporter and given the chance to retract or amend his offensive statement, but he did not. Instead, he said: Yeah, I think there’s something wrong with him, absolutely, sure,” Trump responded, adding, “I think there’s something wrong with him.”  

On November 29^th, Michael Bohacek a republican state senator from Indiana, said he would vote against Trump on a redistricting bill. He said, “This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences. I will be voting ‘no’ on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.”ch 

He later would clarify that he didn’t believe in the policy behind the redistricting, which, we can suppose gave him license to oppose the vote on moral grounds. His statement that it was “not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references” was certainly true, but it was apparently the first time this abusive language touched the senator enough so he would take action. It turns out that Trump’s words were deeply personal to Bohacek because he has a daughter with downs syndrome. Trump’s insenitive words touched him personally. 

There is something deeply disturbing about Bohacek’s actions. In the aftermath of Bohacek’s announcement, he was called courageous and praised for the integrity to stand up to Trump. And didn’t the senator say that it wasn’t the first time that Trump said offensive things?  

Let’s do a quick review. All of the things I mentioned below are verified and either directly quoted by reporters or recorded on tape. The list does not include many, many reports from insiders that could not be independently verified 

• Recently, Trump used the phrase “shithole  countries” to describe nations like Haiti, El Salvador and Somalis. America has prided itself on evaluating individuals and not whole classes of people. He has likewise said the Somalians are “dirty, disgusting and riddled with crime.” 

• In 2025. Trump characterized Somalian immigrants as garbage. He has also said he does not want any Somalians in this country”. 

• Trump once mocked a disabled reporter. He said, “Now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy,” before waving his arms around to mock the reporter’s physical disability. 

• He has attacked certain celebrity women, including Rosie O’Donnel,  Bette Midler and Ariana Huffington – often criticizing them based on their appearance. He called Midler a “washed up psycho” and “an extremely unattractive woman,” said the O’Donnel was “disgusting inside and out.” 

• Trump once disrespected the military’s highest army by saying the Presidential Medal of Freedom is much better than the Congressional Medal of Honor because, soldiers who receive the Medal of Honor are “either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead.” Trump has given the medal of freedom to nine sports stars, Elvis Presley and billionaire donor Miriam Adelson. 

• Recently, on Air Force One, Trump barked at female reporter, Catherine Lucy, “Quiet, quiet Piggy.” 

• During the 2024 Presidential campaign, Trump said that Kamal Harris was “mentally disabled.” (Was Michael Bohacek listening?). He also said about Harris: “I did not know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” 

• And of course, there is the Access Hollywood tape, where among other things, Trump said: I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” 

• Trump once retweeted a video where people were clearly chanting “White power.” (He would later say he hadn’t seen that part.) 

That is just a sampling. The insults and drogatory language that has been used by Trump could certainly not be described as isolated anomalies. It is a pattern. n 

So here is the question? It is the question we should all answer. Michael Bohacek should answer it. 

Do the insults and abuse and derogatory language only matter when it is pointed at us? Did it only become real for Senator Bohacek when it became him, his family? Do we all have to wait until it comes after us? –And worse, did the abuseable be to intersect with policy he didn’t agree with before he got up off his knees and uttered the word, “No.”