WORDS HAVE MEANING: "[Donald] Trump appears to be indifferent to the harm his rhetoric causes. He does not specifically intend it, but he does nothing to prevent the fact that he acts and speaks in ways that make the violence more likely.".

• Author: Garcia, Helio Fred
• Position: POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

JUST ONE DAY after another unarmed black man was shot numerous times by a police officer, Pres. Donald Trump featured at his Republican National Convention opening night a couple who had pointed weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters. It was not an accident and is part of a pattern.

In my teaching and research, I study patterns: of influence and persuasion; audience reaction; and the consequences of language. I study how dehumanizing and demonizing language diminishes a society's capacity for empathy, and how some people react to that language in ways that lead to acts of violence, ranging from hate crimes to terrorism.

There are 12 types of language that historically have preceded acts of violence against suspect groups or a leader's critics. Trump uses all 12 forms.

Another pattern is that Trump engages in a kind of dance with white supremacists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis. He signals to them; they signal back.

It began when Trump took up the birther cause in 2011 and spent five years claiming that Pres. Barack Obama might be Kenyan and Muslim. This got white supremacists' attention. Then he launched his presidential campaign by saying that Mexico, other Central American countries--and even some "Middle Easterners"--intentionally were sending their worst elements to the U.S. to destabilize society. Then he called for a total and complete ban of Muslims entering the country.

It was music to white supremacists' ears. In early 2016, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Trump. The morning Trump was declared winner of the 2016 presidential election, Duke tweeted, "This is one of the most exciting nights of my life--make no mistake about it, our people have played a HUGE role in electing Trump! #MAGA."

Andrew Anglin, head of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, in a triumphalist tone, referred to Trump as one of their own, writing, "We won, brothers. All of our work. It has paid off. Our Glorious Leader has ascended to God Emperor. Make no mistake about it: we did this. If it were not for us, it wouldn't have been possible."

Richard Spencer, the white nationalist leader who coined the term Alt-Right as a less off-putting name for white nationalism, tweeted, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback. #Trump."

Several days later, Spencer told a rally of his followers, "We willed Donald Trump into office. We made this dream our reality, and if we...