For the longest time people from both sides of the political spectrum thought they could laugh him off, including myself. But Trump is no laughing matter. Even if he doesn't secure the Republican nomination, let alone become President, he has already done a lot of damage by telegraphing that it is now OK to be openly racist and xenophobic, insult large parts of the population, and worst of all, by giving that most insidious brand of racism an unprecedented boost: thanks to Trump, white supremacism is now a "trending color".