“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie,” Trump said. “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I am sorry, Erika.”

Three days later, JD Vance pitched the idea that the president didn’t fully mean what the world heard him say. HuffPost reported:

Vice President JD Vance, a friend of slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, has claimed that President Donald Trump was ‘joking’ when he ranted about hating his opponents during Kirk’s memorial.

“Well, I think the president was joking,” the vice president told Nexstar’s Reshad Hudson, adding, “I think it’s interesting, if you go back and watch the full speech, what the president was trying to do, in this very humorous and very unique way, was highlight how hard it is for us to forgive our enemies.”.....

All of this dovetailed with Trump telling Americans that his political opponents are “fascists,” who are also guilty of “treason.” His domestic foes, the president has added, are also “enemies of the people,” “the enemy within” and “threats to democracy.”

It was against this backdrop that, at the memorial service, Trump appeared to speak candidly, declaring that he “hates” his political opposition and doesn’t want what’s best for them.

I understand why Vance peddled an obviously absurd line about the president “joking.” In the American tradition, elected leaders have never voiced public “hatred” for those who dare to disagree with them. His repeated references to his contempt for other Americans are reminders that Trump apparently sees himself as the head of “Red America,” not the president of the whole country.

And despite the vice president’s woeful attempt at spin, there’s nothing funny about this.