You aren’t a moron. You know hate is both wrong and bad. It’s bad for our physical health, our mental health, and more. But did you know that when one party decides to use hate as a way to move people, it damages our country on a fundamental level?

Donald Trump and JD Vance are not proposing solutions. They’re relying on Project 2025 as policy. Their job is to make you vote. That’s all, get you angry and hateful enough to vote – for all the wrong reasons. They are so good at making you hate that they have convinced you to vote in a way that will boomerang and hurt you.

Why?

Because the wealthy don’t have to play but the same rules you do. The rules they create for us are not the same for them. I will not prove this to you; you must be conscious to know this is true. This hate has consequences, and you are believing it, supporting it, and echoing it is toxic. And you have to take responsibility for your role in the MAGA machine. Here’s what hate is going to America.

#1. Hate Weakens the Economy

Immigrants contribute significantly to economic growth by filling labor shortages, starting businesses, and paying taxes. When Trump and Vance target immigrants to drive them away, it leads to workforce shortages in critical industries like agriculture, healthcare, and technology, which can slow economic growth.

• Immigrant Labor Contributions: Immigrants comprise 17% of the U.S. workforce and are crucial in the agriculture, construction, and healthcare industries. Pew Research Center, 2020.
• Entrepreneurship: Immigrants are nearly twice as likely as native-born individuals to start businesses, which create jobs and drive economic growth. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2019.
• Tax Contributions: Immigrants, including undocumented workers, contribute billions annually in state and local taxes. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 2017.

#2. Hate Increases Social Inequality

Targeting immigrants leads to increased marginalization and inequality. When immigrants are vilified, they are pushed to the fringes of society, making it harder for them to access education, healthcare, and other essential services. This entrenches cycles of poverty, leading to greater social instability.

• Poverty Cycles: Immigrants targeted by xenophobia are often marginalized economically, increasing the likelihood of generational poverty and limiting upward mobility. Urban Institute, 2019.
• Discrimination in Housing and Employment: Studies show that anti-immigrant sentiment leads to discrimination in housing and job markets, reinforcing economic inequality. Economic Policy Institute, 2018.
• Health Disparities: Immigrant communities experience worse health outcomes due to systemic exclusion from healthcare and social services. American Public Health Association, 2020.

#3. Hate Hampers Innovation

Immigrants have been behind some of the most significant technological advancements and entrepreneurial success stories. By fostering hatred and driving them away, we lose out on fresh perspectives and the skills they bring to drive innovation in technology, medicine, and education.

• Immigrant Contributions to Tech: Many major tech companies, including Google, Intel, and Tesla, were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. National Foundation for American Policy, 2018.
• STEM Talent: Immigrants make up 25% of the U.S. STEM workforce, and restrictions on immigration reduce the talent pool available for innovation. Pew Research Center, 2020.
• Patents and Innovation: Immigrant entrepreneurs and inventors are responsible for a disproportionate number of patents and technological breakthroughs. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2018.

#4. Hates Damages Our International Reputation

Nations that promote hostility towards immigrants damage their standing on the global stage. A reputation for intolerance can lead to strained diplomatic relations and reduce the country’s influence in international arenas, affecting trade, security partnerships, and global cooperation.

• Loss of Soft Power: Anti-immigrant policies damage a nation’s soft power, reducing its ability to influence global affairs through diplomacy and cultural leadership. Brookings Institution, 2017.
• Trade Relations: Hostile immigration policies have negatively affected international trade relations, especially with countries that provide migrant labor. Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2019.
• International Human Rights Criticism: Nations with harsh anti-immigrant policies have been repeatedly criticized by international human rights organizations, damaging their global reputation. Human Rights Watch, 2020.

#5. Hate Creates Division and Distrust

Hatred of immigrants divides communities, fostering suspicion and fear. Building strong, cohesive communities becomes more challenging when people are pitted against each other based on nationality or ethnicity, increasing tension and conflict within society.

• Increased Social Tensions: Research shows that political rhetoric against immigrants correlates with increased racial tensions and hate crimes. Southern Poverty Law Center, 2019.
• Community Isolation: Studies show that anti-immigrant sentiment leads to immigrant communities withdrawing from civic participation, exacerbating isolation and mistrust. American Sociological Association, 2018.
• Reduced Community Cohesion: Hate speech against immigrants has been linked to decreased trust among residents and less willingness to engage in community-building activities. University of Oxford, 2020.

#6. Promotes Fear over Reason

• Hating immigrants is often based on fearmongering and stereotypes, not facts. This shifts public discourse away from reasoned, evidence-based policy discussions to emotional, reactionary politics, weakening the ability of societies to address fundamental challenges like economic inequality or climate change.
• Fearmongering: Studies show that fear-based rhetoric is often used in political campaigns to influence public opinion against immigrants despite evidence to the contrary. Harvard University, 2019.
• Increased Hostility: Fear-driven narratives about immigration have been linked to increased public support for punitive and exclusionary policies. American Political Science Review, 2020.
• Demonization without Facts: Many myths about immigrants, such as the idea that they increase crime, have been debunked by research showing immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born citizens. Criminology, 2017.

#7. Hate Erodes National Identity

America and many other democratic nations are built on the values of inclusion and diversity. By hating immigrants, we betray these founding principles, eroding the very identity that has made countries like the U.S. successful and resilient over time.

• Diversity as a Strength: Studies show that nations built on diversity and inclusion, such as the U.S., benefit from higher levels of innovation, economic growth, and social resilience. American Economic Review, 2018.
• Xenophobia Undermines Patriotism: Anti-immigrant rhetoric can erode a sense of shared national identity, creating an ‘us vs. them’ mentality and weakening societal bonds. American Sociological Review, 2020.
• Historical Precedent: In times of xenophobia, such as during the Chinese Exclusion Act, the U.S. experienced a loss of global credibility and internal unity. History.com, 2019.

#8. Hate Undermines Democracy

Democracy thrives on inclusion and participation. When immigrants are demonized, they are often excluded from civic participation, weakening the democratic fabric. Hating immigrants also leads to voter suppression efforts aimed at minority populations, eroding democratic representation.

• Voter Suppression: Immigrant and minority communities are often targeted by voter suppression efforts, reducing political representation. Brennan Center for Justice, 2021.
• Reduced Civic Participation: Fear of deportation or targeting discourages immigrants, even legal ones, from participating in political processes such as voting and advocacy. Center for American Progress, 2018.
• Weakened Trust in Institutions: Research indicates that anti-immigrant policies undermine trust in democratic institutions, particularly in minority and immigrant communities. Journal of Democracy, 2020.

#9. Hate Destroys Empathy and Humanity

Hatred of immigrants erodes our sense of shared humanity. It encourages us to dehumanize people based on their birthplace, undermining values of compassion and empathy that are core to a functioning society. This makes it easier to justify inhumane policies and treatment.

• Dehumanization: Psychological studies show that hostile rhetoric dehumanizes immigrant populations, reducing empathy and increasing support for harsh policies. American Psychological Association, 2019.
• Increased Support for Cruelty: Research has found that when immigrants are dehumanized, people are more likely to support inhumane treatment like family separation and detention. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020.
• Reduced Social Solidarity: Studies suggest that societies with high levels of xenophobia experience reduced social solidarity and mutual support. European Sociological Review, 2017.

#10. Hate Contradicts Religious and Moral Values

Many religions preach love, kindness, and hospitality towards strangers. Whether it’s Christianity’s teachings of welcoming the stranger or similar values in Islam, Judaism, and other faiths, hating immigrants is inconsistent with religious teachings that encourage helping others and seeing humanity in all people.

• Religious Teachings on Hospitality: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have explicit teachings on welcoming the stranger and helping those in need. World Council of Churches, 2017.
• Clergy Opposition: Faith leaders across denominations have spoken against anti-immigrant policies incompatible with moral teachings. National Catholic Reporter, 2018.
• Moral Philosophy: Philosophers from Immanuel Kant to John Rawls have argued that exclusion based on nationality contradicts the principle of universal human dignity. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2021.

In a democracy, every person, regardless of background, should have an opportunity to participate and contribute. Hating immigrants undermines this core principle by fostering exclusion, which weakens the democratic process. Diverse voices and perspectives strengthen democracies; by shutting out immigrants, we weaken our capacity for inclusive, fair governance and limit the full potential of civic participation.