I am reading William Manchester’s masterful three volume biography of Winston Churchill. In addition to being one of the most important figures in the 20th century, Churchill was a prolific writer and a great orator. He has many famous speeches but perhaps two stand out: his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech of May 13, 1940 in the House of Commons and his “we shall fight on the beaches” speech delivered to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940. The speeches mobilized a British public and convinced a skeptical Parliament that the only option for the British was to fight against Hitler. Manchester emphasizes that at an early age Churchill was fascinated with the power of the English language, both written and spoken words. It quickly became part of his identity. I understand this completely. As a Professor of Political Science for 39 years during which I gave thousands of lectures and speeches and authored research articles, essays, and chapters in books. I also authored two books, one with a second edition. Words matter.
When I think of our own history, there are many key speeches by leaders that served to mobilize the people of this country to act. FDR’s speech after the attack on Pearl Harbor caused Americans to step forward and change the course of WWII and the post WWII period. JFK’s first inaugural address in which he implored us to “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” inspired my generation to step forward to join the Peace Corp, serve in the military or government, teach in our public schools, and participate in the race to the moon. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” and others mobilized people to participate in the civil rights movement. When any president speaks, people all over the world and in the US listen to every word. Every word is analyzed with respect to their own lives.
While the speeches that I just mentioned produced positive outcomes, it is also important to note that there are other examples of leaders mobilizing their populations with speeches that contain conspiracy theories and lies which have led to massive violations of the law, the overthrow of democratic governments, and crimes against humanity. Hitler and Mussolini immediately come to mind. There are many others I could mention but the major point is that words cause people to act. There are no actions without words.
I say this because it is imperative that leaders, especially presidents, take measure of their words because we know that people act upon them. Just a few examples of the many rhetorical comments of former President Trump will serve to illustrate this. He stated that someone should “take action” against the judge in his fraud case in New York. He said that the out-going Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley, should be “executed.” Both of those individuals received death threats and were forced to seek personal security assistance. All one must do is look at the events of January 6, 2021. In the hundreds of trials of those who committed violent crimes at the capitol that day, many have stated that they acted because Trump told them to do so. His comments and speeches have put members of Congress, FBI officers, federal and state judges, federal and state prosecutors, members of federal and state juries, journalists, former members of his staff and Cabinet, military officers, average citizens who work in elections, and others at risk for their lives. This includes the families of these people. According to FBI tracking, the number of threats escalates each time Trump blames someone for his problems and urges his followers to act. Just the other day, he stated that if he is not re-elected in 2024, there will be a “bloodbath.” These words have consequences. His irresponsible and violent rhetoric is a clear threat to the safety and security of many Americans. In constantly doing this, the former President has normalized this hateful rhetoric and the violence and the illegal actions that are a direct result of its use.
I note that Trump is protected by free speech. He has argued that he bears no responsibility for the actions of others. We have already established that words cause people to act. We know that Trump’s rhetoric has caused violent actions against individuals throughout government and their family members. This is unique in American history. No other president in my lifetime has engaged in this type of speech. His followers and Republican leaders who say nothing about this rhetoric contribute to its normalization.
I note that free speech is not absolute. An individual’s free speech must be balanced against the rights of others to be safe and the right of the community to be safe. All presidents in my lifetime except Trump were/are aware of this. When will the silent Republicans speak out against this? The more silent they remain, the more complicit they become, and the worse it will become.
On a final note, one often hears the phrase “actions speak louder than words.” I believe that this statement cheapens the importance of words. Words precede actions. Words cause actions. I believe that words are just as powerful as actions. In particular, the words of our leaders are most significant and do have consequences. We should keep that in mind for the 2024 presidential election and beyond.
Comments