Political scientists from the University of North Texas have published a shocking study in The Washington Post which revealed that counties across the United States where President Donald Trump held campaign rallies saw a 226% increase in hate crimes.

The study was conducted by two professors from University of North Texas, Regina Branton and Valerie Martinez-Ebers, and another political scientist, PhD candidate Ayal Feinberg. Among the alarming details was one finding that many have feared and suspected for so long- that the hateful and divisive rhetoric Trump used during his 2016 campaign speeches “may encourage hate crimes” in areas where they were given.

The carefully conducted study took many factors into account when making the correlation between acts of violence in counties that HOSTED Trump rallies versus counties that did NOT host rallies. It was important that they chose to compare counties which had similar characteristics such as location, minority population, and active hate groups.

Since many would like to argue that some hate crimes are “fake” or “exaggerated”, the scientists also made it a top priority to ensure that all hate crimes reported were true and factual and in no instance were they fake or speculated events. They even found that in many instances, the number of hate crimes committed could actually be HIGHER than previously thought because of a tendency to not report them as such.

“In fact, this charge is frequently used as a political tool to dismiss concerns about hate crimes… Research shows it is far more likely that hate crime statistics are considerably lower because of underreporting.”

-Washington Post/University of North Texas Analysis on hate crimes and Trump rallies

Although Democrats and many others have long speculated that Trump’s rhetoric is not only harmful but is also guilty of inciting violence in many forms, Trump continually brushes the charges off as nonsense. Trump vehemently denies any study or report that suggests that white nationalism is a rising and real threat, even as evidence mounts, even as hate crimes continue, even as people – such as the 50 New Zealanders that lost their lives in the Christchurch shooting earlier this month- continue to die. Trump continues to deny. The evidence pours in about the very real damage that far-right extremists are doing, and it pours in just the same about white supremacy groups, yet Trump continues to deny.

“I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems… The Fake News Media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand… They will have to work very hard to prove that one. So Ridiculous!”

President Donald Trump