President Trump is no stranger to making irresponsible, ableist comments to the public. It shows us a lot about how he truly feels toward those living with disabilities. In one instance, he mocked Serge Kovaleski, a disabled reporter with a joint movement disorder. In another instance, he targeted the hiring of people with disabilities within the FAA. Now, he had an online feud with Governor Tim Walz and used an outright slur against those with disabilities. As a result, a Republican Indiana senator is choosing to vote against redistricting efforts put in place by Trump.
So, what started the entire feud? TikToker @harryjsisson reported on the post that started it all. President Trump tried to call out Governor Tim Walz in a post on Truth Social about Somalian gangs allegedly “taking over” the streets of Minnesota. It’s just one more fear-mongering post he’s made about immigration in America. However, in his post, he refers to Tim Walz as the seriously “r-word” Governor of Minnesota.
Now, Trump is expecting republicans to vote in his favor for redistricting efforts, some of which are supposed to take place in Indiana. This comes before a House session that’s supposed to help Republicans redraw congressional maps. However, due to his outright usage of this ableist slur, one Indiana Republican Senator isn’t too happy. Senator Michael Bohacek wrote in a Facebook post that the use of the slur changed his views on everything. He says he will now be voting “NO on redistricting” because Trump’s “choices of words have consequences.” Why does he feel so strongly about this? As Bohacek writes, his daughter has Down Syndrome. He says, “I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter.”
What makes this an especially ballsy move is the fact that Trump warned he would “unleash war” on any Indiana Republicans who voted against his efforts. What does this mean for Bohacek? It’s great that he stood his ground in support of disabled rights. But he will probably be facing Trump’s fury as a result, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
One commenter pointed out about Bohacek, “He’s not brave because he finally stood up when it affected him.” It’s funny that a commenter mentioned this, because House Republicans have been known to staunchly vote against disabled rights. In fact, they gathered to pass HR-620 in 2017, a bill that would limit the enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and gut certain anti-discrimination laws. Trump has also worked to cut Medicaid services that have a huge impact on the disabled community. So, if Bohacek thinks this is anything new, he’s lying to himself.
