The president just tear-gassed peaceful Americans. Where are you, Thom Tillis?
Early Monday evening, before Donald Trump walked outside the White House behind an armed escort to show he wasn’t weak, before he held a Bible up awkwardly in front of a church without bothering to read from it, before it was all packaged into a slick video that showed him ... leading? ... he had a problem.
The church that the president wanted to use for his photo op was in Lafayette Park, which was host to a peaceful protest a half-hour before curfew descended on Washington, DC. So federal officers were sent into the park, where they launched tear gas and attacked protesters and clergy, to clear a path for the president.
That’s right. Donald Trump’s officers teargassed peaceful Americans. So he could use a church as a stage and a Bible as a prop.
It was terrifying. It was shameful. If it leaves you shaking your head and asking where the bottom is with this president, we understand. If it leaves you speechless, however, then maybe your name is Thom Tillis.
Tillis, of course, is North Carolina’s junior U.S. senator, and he’s locked in a very tight race for reelection. He’s been a little more visible lately with a new ad campaign that portrays him as a humble North Carolinian, a regular guy who cares about regular guy issues, like living paycheck to paycheck.
Regular folks might have some nits to pick there, in that if you lose your paycheck in North Carolina, you can thank Tillis for being an architect of one of the stingiest state unemployment programs in the country. The bigger campaign issue for Tillis, however, is that he long ago wanted to pretend he is a moderate who’s troubled by some of the president’s erratic words and deeds, but he doesn’t want to lose the president and his supporters. That led to some embarrassing episodes, such as when he expressed “grave concerns” in a Februrary 2019 op-ed about Trump’s national emergency declaration to fund a wall on the southern border, then voted to support it less than a month later.
Other Republicans, including some in tight races, find themselves in a similar bind with Trump. So why are we singling out Sen. Tillis? Because the president is inching down a dangerous path. He not only unleashed federal officers against peaceful Americans on Monday; he has inflamed the country with combative tweets and tough guy flexing about George Floyd protests, and he has talked about sending federal troops to states where governors don’t “dominate” protesters. We don’t believe states and their governors should let protesters lawlessly break curfews and damage property, but troops on U.S. streets would be a grave mistake that would heighten the unrest.
That’s where Tillis comes in. What America needs at this moment are leaders who want to find a path toward healing, not leaders who appear to itch for conflict. We need members of Congress who recognize and voice that an overwhelming majority of protesters don’t support violence and looting, and that many protesters who do appear to have ulterior political motives. The members of Congress who’ve recognized this are largely Democrats. We were pleased to see Tillis join them late Tuesday with a message that encouraged healing.
That message fell short, however. As we’ve seen in this presidency, one of the few things that can curb Donald Trump’s behavior is Senate Republicans holding up their hands. In NC, only one Senate Republican is not mired in his own scandal.
Can Tillis rise to the moment this time? His fellow Americans are getting tear-gassed for a presidential photo op. His country is hurtling down a dangerous road. We hope he’s not speechless about his president once again.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 12:06 PM.