The standards for what “behavior Trump-supporting Republicans will overlook” have sunk to an astonishing low.

This week, a nonprofit group representing Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, took legal action against Donald Trump and JD Vance over their misleading and harmful comments about the local Haitian community.

In response, Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, made a post on social media stating:

“Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, voodoo, the worst country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters but look at them, feeling all sophisticated now that they’re filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their thoughts straight and their a– out of our country before January 20th.”

This is blatant racism with no other way to interpret it. However, the Republican Party managed to deflect and justify it. While Democrats called for his reprimand, the GOP blocked those efforts.

Trump’s GOP often finds justifications for racists and extremists

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had the audacity to describe Higgins as “a very principled man,” adding: “He mentioned that he went to pray about it, regretted it, and removed the post. That’s exactly what a gentleman should do. I’m sure he probably wishes he had used different language.”

The terms “gentleman” and “probably” carry significant weight in this statement, and Higgins quickly made Johnson appear as a heartless apologist, stating on CNN that he stood by his offensive remarks: “It’s all true. I can create another controversial post tomorrow if needed. I mean, we have freedom of speech. I will say what I please. Just like something stuck to my shoe. Just scrape it off and move forward.”

First off, Rep. Higgins, go away. Really. You are like something undesirable stuck to the bottom of America’s shoe, and hopefully, voters will find a way to remove you sooner rather than later.

However, the key issue here is not just the racist outburst of a persistently foolish individual, but the remarkable ease with which Republicans try to justify the deplorable figures among them.

The GOP’s list of excused racists and peculiar figures keeps growing

Being a Trump-supporting Republican today means you easily overlook the actions of individuals like Clay Higgins and their casual racism.

It means you read about North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s claim of being “a black NAZI” on adult site message boards—stating he’d choose Hitler over any of the current politicians in Washington and asserts that slavery wasn’t as bad as people think—and you shrug it off.

Trump endorsed Robinson, who also backed Trump, and to this day, Trump has not distanced himself from the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

It means you defend GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance for making false, racist accusations about legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, engaging in acts like eating pets.

It means you turn a blind eye to the fallout, threats, and animosity that have consumed Springfield following those disgraceful remarks.

Trump spreads xenophobic lies about legal immigrants in angry tirade

It means you excuse Trump’s increasingly disgusting, xenophobic fabrications, such as this example from a speech on Thursday where he targeted Springfield once more: “They need to be removed; we need to rescue our country. They’ve filled the job market with low-wage immigrants, many of whom have appalling criminal records, including murder and drug trafficking,

There are many issues at hand, particularly regarding human traffickers, with a focus on women.”

This statement is completely false. The majority of Haitians residing in Springfield are legal immigrants, which means that the call to “get them out” essentially involves summoning the deportation of individuals who are already legal residents.

Will the Republican Party denounce that awful speech?

Absolutely not. Such rhetoric will be justified once again. At most, there might be a mild disapproval from some who consider themselves “moderate,” expressing dissatisfaction over Trump’s influence on the party, yet they will still vote for him in November because party loyalty takes precedence.

Crimes? No issue. Racism? No issue. This is the current GOP.

If you support Trump as a Republican, then you overlook his 34 felony charges. You disregard the fact that he has been legally labeled a rapist and owes vast sums in fines for business fraud.

You overlook that your party’s presidential nominee is using the final weeks of the campaign to sell extravagant watches and coins, profiting off his own base.

You pardon your party’s presidential candidate when he questions Vice President Kamala Harris’ mixed-race heritage by saying she “just happened to turn Black.”

You also excuse fringe personalities like Laura Loomer, closely tied to Trump, when she makes a racist remark about Harris, calling her a “DEI Shaniqua.”

Just excuses all around. Acceptance without question.

It seems that the GOP comprises people who can do no wrong

This political party is willing to tolerate all kinds of intolerance. Its members have repeatedly demonstrated this, from Higgins to Vance to Trump to Loomer, among many more I cannot name here. They push for laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals and challenge the concept of diversity while banning literature and intimidating educators labeled as too “woke.”

They tolerate belittling and dehumanizing language as long as it serves their interests and then shamelessly hide behind their supposed faith and a convenient interpretation of forgiveness.

None of these behaviors would be accepted if they originated from a Democrat. If Harris were to defend a Democrat involved in a scandal relating to pornography or Nazism, Republicans would scream in outrage for eternity, and Fox News would explode with indignation.

While Democrats have their flaws, they are not comparable. When lawmakers such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams or New Jersey’s Democratic Senator Bob Menendez face legal challenges, the party distances itself from them. When party members became dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s candidacy, he was replaced by Harris.

It is unlikely that anything similar will occur within Donald Trump’s Republican Party. It has transformed into a group of individuals who cannot do wrong, constantly scrutinizing those unwilling to conform.

As you evaluate who deserves your vote, reflect on how much the individual or their party is prepared to overlook.

If a candidate believes it’s acceptable to tell legal immigrants to “get their mind right and their a– out of our country,” that tells you everything you need to know.