You know what? Maybe Donald Trump isn’t so bad after all. Maybe – despite all those rank things he’s been saying about women, Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants, rape victims and the environment – he’s been getting a bit of a shit deal. For example, he was interviewed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, and I thought he seemed super nice. He even (in a picture that’s since gone viral) let Jimmy Fallon mess up his hair a little bit. For a man with such a beautiful dewy mop, that’s a pretty chill thing to do. Maybe we’ve just been reading him wrong this whole time?

Sadly, things really aren’t that simple. Donald Trump is – if recent polls are to be believed – on his way to the White House this November. The billionaire businessman / racist demagogue / quivering pus globule is now running neck-and-neck with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, making him one step closer to the most powerful position in the world. Somehow, while most of us were busy mocking him, he managed to talk his way to the top. And, for some bizarre reason, we’re still refusing to take it seriously.

After June’s Brexit vote, it’s clear that facts, experts and policies matter less than ever. The most important thing a potential leader can be, above all else, is popular. In the Fallon interview last night, Trump proved this by puking up meaningless lines and abstract ideas about America’s future. “What I want is what’s right for the country,” he whispered softly to the audience. “I love people, and I wanna do right for people.” Despite his actions over the last few months proving the complete opposite, the audience let out a stomach-churning cheer. Fallon, probably the most popular talkshow host in the US, nodded and smiled along. 

“What I want is what’s right for the country... I love people, and I wanna do right for people” – Donald Trump

Considering the incredible influence these talk shows must have on voters, it’s weird that these statements should just be left unchallenged. Why would a man who dismissed global warming as “bullshit” be the best option for the US’s future? Is someone who supports torture (he claims to “like” waterboarding “a lot”) really going to do the right thing for the people? This isn’t even touching on his appalling attitude to immigrants – something that he’s proved countless times throughout his campaign so far. According to the Republican, US-based Mexicans are “rapists” and “killers”, Muslims are a “problem”, and black people are “lazy”. 

While he admits these are shocking things to say – and even shows some signs of regret in the Fallon interview – the damage has already been done. Aside from his policies, Trump is playing on the fears of disenfranchised and neglected Americans, which may prove to be a dangerous game. Legitimising these racist views and divisive stereotypes will only lead to a more intolerant society, and will create environments for hostility and hatred to thrive.

Even last week, Christian Picciolini – the former leader of the world’s deadliest neo-Nazi group – called Trump a “dream candidate” for a white nationalist voter. “Inside a stadium of 3,000 Trump supporters, I witnessed and heard more vile and disgustingly racist things come out of people's mouths – people who looked like our next-door neighbours, dentists and teachers – than I did with any of the dozens of white power skinhead or Klan rallies I’ve been to,” he remarked. “Trump hasn’t created more racism, he’s just created a safe, mainstream platform for them to legitimise and grow.”

This isn’t to say that Hillary Clinton’s pained publicity stunts aren’t just as terrible – just that something feels darker here. Messing with Trump’s hair and lol–ing about possible portmanteaus for his bromance with Vladimir Putin just shouldn’t be a joke any more. Why is someone with as much sway as Fallon letting him get away with it? Why attempt to humanise a man who has made it his mission to dehumanise a huge chunk of the US population? If we’re worried about the livelihood of minority groups, women, or the world in general, now is probably the time to stop laughing.