He knows exactly what he's doing.

I live within a short drive of Springfield and have lived in SW Ohio for almost 20 years. The racism was a culture shock. I expected that sort of thing from the older generations, but hearing Millennials making "furriners eat cats" jokes was jarring. I quickly learned to recalibrate my expectations.

Springfield was an unusually bad place to live 10-15 years ago. Rent and home prices were cheap because no one wanted to live there. I've heard it described as "Dayton's Ugly and Dirty Little Sister" - and that's saying something. I remember a warehouse fire on the south side that burned for days and no one could figure out who owned it. Or maybe it just collapsed into itself - either way, it was a situation. And it surprised no one.

Local employers have trouble finding people who are able to read and also not burdened with a weird sense of entitlement. The people who have been left behind are legitimately threatened by the idea of folks who can show up on time and follow basic instructions. Add into the mix the weird midwestern thin-skinnedness, and you have a mess of people who just feel like victims and who are ready to blame anyone who doesn't "fit." Another midwestern thing.

He knows what he's doing. And they know what he means.