Donald Trump is showing voters their ugliest beliefs. They won't like it.

There's a reason politicians usually use dog whistles...

Donald Trump reveals his true feelings without hesitation.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Donald Trump's rhetoric is distinctive in many ways, but one of the most striking is how he takes what is ordinarily implied and makes it explicit. Instead of trying to convince you he's smart, Trump just says, "I have a very good brain." Instead of painting a detailed picture of the benefits his presidency will bring, Trump says, "I will give you everything. I will give you what you've been looking for for 50 years. I'm the only one."

When it comes to personal boasting, this tendency just makes Trump sound like a fool. But he also takes the kind of thing Republicans have long implied about Democrats and about the world, strips off the veneer, and shoves it right in everyone's face. Immigrants are criminals. Muslims should be kept out of America. I'm big and you're small.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.