--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a president, as Trump does…" description: "\"When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it is not a lunatic who tries to harm them, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg" --- # When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an… ![“When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it is not a lunatic who tries to harm them, it is a patriot.” quote by Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg) > “When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it is not a lunatic who tries to harm them, it is a patriot.” [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A leader labeling opponents as a threat is framed as patriotic, conflating dissent with disloyalty. **In simple terms:** Patriotic rhetoric can label dissent as un-American. Key Takeaway Question rhetoric, protect dissent. Themes politics patriotism polarization Mood critical tense Type political controversial When to use this quote - election campaigns - public protests - media analysis Key Concepts nationalism media framing Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling dissent as un-American affect democracy? - When is patriotism a cover for oppression? A Different Perspective Patriotism can silence legitimate criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Mob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mob/) [Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriot/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) ## Related quotes > [It's egregious that CPAC and Matt Schlapp have decided to bow to the leftist outrage mob and ban one of President Trump's most prominent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-loomer/it-s-egregious-that-cpac-and-matt-schlapp-have-decided-to-bow-to-the/) [Laura Loomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-loomer/) > [Social justice is a cancer. Social justice means you are ruled by whatever the mob does. What social justice does is destroy individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/social-justice-is-a-cancer-social-justice-means-you-are-ruled-by/) [Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/) > [I think the generosity of President Trump's spirit, recognizing that in the patriot's heart, there's no room for prejudice is part of who this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/i-think-the-generosity-of-president-trump-s-spirit-recognizing-that/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Trump does not gain strength with every attempt to place limits on his behavior. Accountability does not jolt him into political action. And just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-does-not-gain-strength-with-every-attempt-to-place-limits-on/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump does magic. Maybe it will be black magic sometime, but he's an amazing phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-shiller/trump-does-magic-maybe-it-will-be-black-magic-sometime-but-he-s-an/) [Robert J. Shiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-shiller/) > [ I think that if he \[Donald Trump\] does really want to make gains, if he does want to find a path to those voters… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burton/i-think-that-if-he-donald-trump-does-really-want-to-make-gains-if-he/) [Bill Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burton/) > [One thing Donald Trump does, the minute something's out there about him that's not true, he blows it up. He reacts to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/one-thing-donald-trump-does-the-minute-something-s-out-there-about/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Donald Trump does not understand the UK and what happens in the UK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/donald-trump-does-not-understand-the-uk-and-what-happens-in-the-uk/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [If Donald Trump does lose, being revealed as this bizarre personality, Ted Cruz is not going to be what Republicans are looking for in 2020.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/if-donald-trump-does-lose-being-revealed-as-this-bizarre-personality/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] does have a thick skin, frankly, as someone who works very closely within, that was in that room today, directly beside him.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/donald-trump-does-have-a-thick-skin-frankly-as-someone-who-works-very/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [Trump does like to pick fights, but it is a mistake to think he is transactional on China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bessent/trump-does-like-to-pick-fights-but-it-is-a-mistake-to-think-he-is/) [Scott Bessent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bessent/) > [ There's a whole lot of reasons people are supporting \[Donald\] Trump. Don't misunderstand. And one of those reasons, and it may be the reason… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/there-s-a-whole-lot-of-reasons-people-are-supporting-donald-trump-don/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I was talking to a friend of mine who's a teacher in Iowa and, you know, she teaches kids - English is their second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/i-was-talking-to-a-friend-of-mine-who-s-a-teacher-in-iowa-and-you/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [When Donald Trump does his talking, he - he doesn't tiptoe around the thousand new rules of political correctness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/when-donald-trump-does-his-talking-he-he-doesn-t-tiptoe-around-the/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The reason why Donald Trump does have a very strong base of popularity is he's an authentic person and not necessarily a politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/the-reason-why-donald-trump-does-have-a-very-strong-base-of/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) ## More by Heather Cox Richardson > [Since 2012, the USPS has not been able to meet its prefunding requirement, but without it, the agency would have made a modest operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-2012-the-usps-has-not-been-able-to-meet-its-prefunding/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Republicans turned against organized workers and abandoned the idea of promoting equality at the bottom of the economic scale. They turned their idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/republicans-turned-against-organized-workers-and-abandoned-the-idea/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Producing 1,200 words every day, when you're already working a full-time job is a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/producing-1-200-words-every-day-when-you-re-already-working-a-full/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Abraham Lincoln and others recoiled from the idea of government as a prop for the rich. In organizing the Republican Party, they highlighted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/abraham-lincoln-and-others-recoiled-from-the-idea-of-government-as-a/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Men like Abraham Lincoln recognized that if the slaveholders were not stopped, it would only be a question of time until they spread their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/men-like-abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-if-the-slaveholders-were-not/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [The question of impeaching Donald Trump is about replacing the toxic partisanship of today's Republican party with America's traditional rule of law. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-question-of-impeaching-donald-trump-is-about-replacing-the-toxic/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Trump's administration looks a great deal like those of the 1850s and the 1890s, with business and government so intertwined that they cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/trump-s-administration-looks-a-great-deal-like-those-of-the-1850s-and/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Trump's alliance with Russia's Vladimir Putin, in defiance of America's own intelligence community, the Department of Justice, and the bipartisan report of the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/trump-s-alliance-with-russia-s-vladimir-putin-in-defiance-of-america/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Democracy was always a gamble. In 1776, the founders rejected the old idea that government should be based on hierarchies according to wealth or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/democracy-was-always-a-gamble-in-1776-the-founders-rejected-the-old/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Dog whistles about women who want handouts are simply an acceptable way to say that women are not worth as much as the men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/dog-whistles-about-women-who-want-handouts-are-simply-an-acceptable/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [The Treaty of Fort Laramie established most of what would later become South Dakota as a reservation, along with the Black Hills. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-treaty-of-fort-laramie-established-most-of-what-would-later/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Under Ronald Reagan, hatred of the liberal media took on a storybook quality. Reagan had honed his political skills as a spokesman for General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/under-ronald-reagan-hatred-of-the-liberal-media-took-on-a-storybook/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Beginning in 1981, when government policies began to undermine the liberal consensus of the previous generation, wealth began to diverge. It is more unevenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/beginning-in-1981-when-government-policies-began-to-undermine-the/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [Mt. Rushmore was conceived in 1923 in a desperate attempt to draw tourist dollars to a state that had been rushed into the Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/mt-rushmore-was-conceived-in-1923-in-a-desperate-attempt-to-draw/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [The roots of Nixon's political descent lay at least as far back as May 1970, when the shooting of four young Americans at Kent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-roots-of-nixon-s-political-descent-lay-at-least-as-far-back-as/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) [Explore all 99 Heather Cox Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) [Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it is not a lunatic who tries to harm them, it is a patriot.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather Cox Richardson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises-opponents-as-an-un-american/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Country" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises-opponents-as-an-un-american/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/heather-cox-richardson-6324_country_when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises_306679.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it…” — Heather Cox Richardson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Heather Cox Richardson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a president, as Trump does,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises-opponents-as-an-un-american/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises-opponents-as-an-un-american/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```