THREAD: The picture below is called My Wife and My Mother-in-Law. It’s a popular optical illusion, first published in 1915 by the cartoonist W.E. Hill.

If you see the young woman and struggle to see the older one, focus on the woman’s necklace. That is actually the mouth of the older woman.

I bring this up because, in many ways, Trump is an optical illusion. Some have supported and enabled him out of political strategy, hoping to make use of his large and fanatic base.

Some have held their noses and supported him because they believe the ends justify the means and anything is worth it if they can pack the courts with conservative judges and overturn Roe v. Wade.

But some can’t see what the rest of us see. They are the crowd watching the emperor strut by, believing he’s draped in expensive fabrics and fabulous jewels. They are the people who cannot see through the optical illusion.

You don’t need to tell me that racism is at the bottom of this. I’m sure that much of the blindness is willful. If you keep repeating that Trump is all about freedom and liberty and patriotism enough, you can drown out the internal voices...

...that tell you he’s really about preserving white supremacy, securing more wealth for the wealthy, and holding as many rallies as possible during which people shout his name.

But there is hope for this third category of people, the ones who can’t seem to see through the illusion. Because once you get a glimpse of that old woman, you can’t un-see her.

I’m not excusing or forgiving any of the horrendous, dangerous behavior we’ve seen over the past few years. But I’m willing to bet that yesterday’s violence opened some eyes. I bet someone people finally saw through the illusion to the old woman or the naked emperor.

I’m willing to bet that some people now see Trump for what he always was, see his rabid base of supporters as racist bullies willing to commit sedition in order to get their way. I bet some who have worn MAGA hats for years may be ready to take them off now.

Because once you see it, you can’t un-see it.