Returning home on the main detour between St. Peter and Mankato for MNDOT's Hwy 169 Minnesota River Flood Mitigation project, a reader snapped the above photo of homemade Trump sign beside Nicollet County 13.
He was struck because the other side that he saw driving north on Tuesday was much more genteel:
A lifelong resident of rural south central Minnesota, our friend noted in the subject line of the email containing the photos, "Race is getting tough already."
We're not sure we can top that observation.
Brief history of a vulgar slogan
The slogan isn't an official part of the campaign--but it's been spotted as far back as 2015. In February, the Texas Tribune's Sara Stevenson reported in Donald Trump and the end of civility:
This political season differs from any other I remember, and I’ve been paying attention since the Reagan years. Driving around Central Austin, I have seen two bumper stickers that illustrate this point: "Trump the Bitch" and "Up Yours, Hillary."
In terms of crude sexism, I’ve never witnessed anything like it. Even the racist insults against Obama never made it to bumper stickers, at least not in inner Austin. . . .
More recently, Fortune's Kristen Bellstrom reported in Trump Supporters Are Selling 'Trump That Bitch' T-Shirts Featuring Hillary Clinton:
Donald Trump supporters have gotten a lot of attention for scary, violent behavior at rallies for the candidate. But as the general election is looking increasingly likely to boil down to a face-off between Trump and Hillary Clinton, a new facet of the GOP frontrunner’s base is surfacing: misogyny.
On Monday, Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani, a host at HuffPost live, tweeted a picture of a t-shirt being sold at a Trump event in Rhode Island. The shirt reads, “Trump That Bitch,” and includes photos of Trump and Clinton. . . .
Campaign merch hits a new low.
Donald Trump supporters have gotten a lot of attention for scary, violent behavior at rallies for the candidate. But as the general election is looking increasingly likely to boil down to a face-off between Trump and Hillary Clinton, a new facet of the GOP frontrunner’s base is surfacing: misogyny.
On Monday, Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani, a host at HuffPost live, tweeted a picture of a t-shirt being sold at a Trump event in Rhode Island. The shirt reads, “Trump That Bitch,” and includes photos of Trump and Clinton.
Unfortunately, the shirt isn’t a one-off. Versions have turned up at prior rallies, including a March 13 event in Bloomington, Ind.
A quick Google search turns up a number of shirts, bumper stickers—even a bottle of hot sauce—with the same disturbing phrase.
While none of this merch is officially sanctioned by the Trump campaign, it has been highly visible at campaign events—and even acknowledged by the candidate himself.
In February, Trump reacted a “Trump that bitch” bumper sticker, which was being held aloft by someone in the crowd. You can watch a YouTube video of his response below:
“This can only happen at a Trump rally,” he says, laughing. Recalling the criticism he faced after failing to challenge a town hall attendee who insisted that President Obama is a Muslim, Trump jokingly chided the sticker holder. “Sir, you’re reprimanded, okay?” he said. “But we’re not throwing him out, right folks?”
The anti-Clinton merch raises the same question that surfaced in the wake of violence at Trump rallies: To what extent is the candidate responsible for the behavior of his following? For many, Trump crossed a line when he encouraged supporters to physically remove protesters from his events, promising to defend them in court if necessary.
While snickering at the bumper sticker doesn’t rise to the level of inciting violence, it certainly does nothing to discourage the misogyny of its sentiment. Indeed, it might even be read as an endorsement.
Given that that stretch of road in Nicollet County is served in the Minnesota Senate by Senator Kathy Sheran (and Julie Rosen's district is next door) we do have to wonder whether an attack on a strong woman will get much traction on that stretch of the prairie.
Photos: Trump sign on Nicollet County Road 13.
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