Have we no decency?
In 1954, during the Army-McCarthy hearings, attorney Joseph Welch stood up against Senator Joe McCarthy’s reckless accusations and asked a simple but profound question: “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” It was a turning point in American consciousness — a reminder that, regardless of political ambition, moral boundaries are necessary. Today, we are faced with the same question. While past presidents have faced all types of criticism, Donald Trump’s actions and words have destroyed any such moral boundaries of what is acceptable in public discourse.
From the start of his political career, Trump has made racist, sexist, and dishonest statements. He referred to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “criminals” during his campaign announcement in 2015, which was not an isolated incident. Throughout his presidency, Trump repeatedly referred to African nations as “shithole countries." In 2017, after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, resulted in the death of a counter-protester, Trump said that there were “very fine people on both sides,” seemingly equating white supremacists with those protesting against them. His words have literally normalized hatred and bigotry.
His remarks about women were just as reprehensible. The “grab 'em by the p***y” tape, which surfaced during the 2016 campaign, revealed Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. Despite widespread outrage, Trump brushed off the comments as “locker room talk,” and many voters and political figures seemed to look the other way.
Trump has built a legacy of dishonesty. According to The Washington Post, Trump made over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his presidency. He undermined trust in the office and eroded the public’s confidence in the truth. His constant barrage of falsehoods — ranging from trivial exaggerations to grave distortions about COVID — created an environment where facts were rarely questioned, and truth became a matter of perspective.
Trump’s dishonesty was again made apparent in the Mueller report, which investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential obstruction of justice by the president. The report outlined numerous instances where Trump tried to manipulate the investigation, including efforts to have then-White House Counsel Don McGahn fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump later pressured McGahn to deny this occurred, reflecting a consistent pattern of dishonesty and a blatant disregard for the law. The report stopped short of making a legal conclusion. But its findings painted a disturbing picture of a president willing to obstruct justice to protect his own interests.
Former FBI Director James Comey said: “This president is not ethical, and he is not honest.” Similarly, John Brennan, former CIA Director, has described Trump’s actions as “treasonous,” a term rarely used in public discourse by someone in his position. The overwhelming consensus from the intelligence community is that Trump’s behavior has been reckless, dishonest, and harmful to the country.
The real question is, why doesn’t anyone seem to care anymore? Why is decency no longer a talked about issue? We live in an age where politicians and leaders are constantly forgiven or excused for behavior that would have been considered unacceptable only ten or twenty years ago. The electorate is desensitized to scandals, with many shrugging off racist, sexist, and dishonest remarks as “just politics.” But should it be? It is no longer enough to simply win an election at any cost; we must ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be, and what kind of leaders we want to follow.
As Joseph Welch asked McCarthy in 1954, we must ask ourselves the same question today: Have we no sense of decency? How much longer will we allow our standards to be eroded in the name of partisanship or political gain? A president should not be judged solely by the policies they enact or the votes they secure, but by their character, their integrity, and their ability to unite rather than divide.
The 2024 election represents a critical moment for America. Will we continue to look the other way as leaders spew hateful, divisive, and dishonest rhetoric? Or will we demand better from those who hold the highest offices in our nation? The choice is ours on November 8, 2024.
Robert S. Mueller III, Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, Volume I & II, March 2019. Available from the Department of Justice. The Washington Post Fact Checker Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo, and Meg Kelly with database of Trump’s false or misleading claims, January 2021. FBI Director James Comey's Testimony James Comey, Testimony Before the Senate Intelligence Committee, June 8, 2017. John Brennan’s Public Comments John Brennan, Interview on NBC’s "Meet the Press", March 2018.
