Trump isn’t sending us back, he’s setting us back.

Chants of “send her back” at President Trump’s political rally last night did not start spontaneously. Someone from his campaign, I’m sure, started yelling the ugly phrase and the crowd, stirred up by Their Leader’s rhetoric, picked it up. Much like that “lock her up” chant of 2016.

When I read about the chant this morning, I literally cried. I didn’t watch his rally because I figured I’ve seen it all before. His comment the other day of “go back to where you came from,” was racist. The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission specifically cites the phrase as the type of language that could violate anti-discrimination employment laws.

For his packed house of rally-goers to pick up the chant enthusiastically demonstrates that Trump is taking our country to the brink of destruction. He manipulates his supporters to reach his ends. Trump comes alive when surrounded by his supporters and he takes cynical advantage of them to perpetuate his politics of hate.

Many politicians have been labeled “Machiavellian” over the years but Trump could have authored the book. Nothing is more important to him than winning — or his perception of winning. No American ideal or tradition or even law is beyond his violating and leveraging to his ends.

Consider a few quotes from Machiavelli:

“It is better to be feared than loved.” (Listen up, Republicans in Congress)