“Did you hear about Trump’s latest tweets?”

“I can’t believe he’s our leader.”

“I wasn’t sure who to vote for during the election, but now I see what he’s doing …”

These are only a few of the statements that I have heard since last November about President Donald Trump. While many people still support him for “telling it like it is” and “saying what the people are thinking”, there are also people who are becoming more “aware.” Sadly, it did not take him insulting women, veterans, Gold Star families or those with a disability to rebuke and separate themselves from him. It did not even take a riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, where members of the alt-right, KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists sought a “white ethno-state.” No, it took Trump’s inability to find a clear distinction between the hate groups and anti-protestors who were present on Aug. 12, which, while astoundingly appalling, is only the tip of Trump’s bigoted iceberg.

The amount of people who are still surprised by Trump’s outlandish and blatantly hateful statements astounds me. He presented himself clearly during his campaign; no illusions. For me, his forthrightness was never the issue like it was and continues to be for some. It is Trump’s belief system and those with whom he surrounds himself that should be the cause of concern. In the 72 hours following Trump’s initially noncommittal, then wildly enabling statements about the events in Charlottesville, at least five businessmen have resigned from his advisory council as a sign of protest. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and his deputy Thea Lee both resigned from the manufacturing council, reported The Telegraph. They said in a statement, "We cannot sit on a council for a president who tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism.”

While Trumka, Lee and all those preceding them will probably be able to rest easier at night thinking they have done something remarkable; why now? Yes, Trump’s comment that there are “many sides” to blame for the Charlottesville riots is despicable. We know that. It is clear that the ones at fault are the white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazis and other bigoted individuals who partook in the violent and hate-filled acts on the night of Aug. 11 and throughout the day on Aug. 12. However, Trump’s inability to condemn his base supporters should not be what tips those who resigned, and anyone else who supported and voted for him, over the edge.

Where were these appalled individuals when Trump was revealed to have made lewd comments about “grabbing” women? Where were they when Trump insulted Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of Captain Humayun Khan, who lost his life in 2004 while fighting for his country in Iraq? Where were they when Trump mocked a reporter with a disability on live television? Where were they when Trump did not disavow white supremacists and the KKK months ago when they made clear that they find justification in his messages?

People who are pulling away from Trump after his refusal to wholly condemn these terrorists should do just that. However, I do not want to hear anyone applauding them for their “trueness” or their “remarkable character.” I certainly do not want to read statements or hear from average citizens that they do not stand for bigotry when so many sat by complacently for the last couple of years as he emboldened these hate groups to act how they did in Charlottesville.

As far as I’m concerned, if you voted for Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election — or you did not vote at all because “it was an impossible decision” — you got exactly what you voted for. There was never a “man behind the curtain.” So, when Trump makes his next statement that “morally offends you”, just know that you made your choice that you will have to explain to your children when they ask, “Why did people continue to let this happen?”