THE TRUMP ERA REALLY BEGAN TODAY, IN OHIO

Disturbing news in Ohio today:

The suspect in [an] Ohio State University attack [today] ran into a group of pedestrians on a street corner with his vehicle before using a weapon to cut several people, OSU President Dr. Michael Drake said. The assailant used a butcher knife, OSU Police Chief Craig Stone said.

Ten people were hospitalized after [the] attack.... Nine are in stable condition, and one is in critical condition....

The university released a statement after the attack.

"A suspect has been shot and reported deceased," the university said. "Victim injuries include stab wounds, injury by motor vehicle and other injuries that are being evaluated."

Before the suspect was identified, Joe Walsh -- radio host, ex-congressman, and Islamophobe -- tweeted this:

Killer used a car & a machete.

Looks like Muslim terror. A car & a knife is their modus operandi.

Ask Israel. https://t.co/LSfDy2rm4p

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 28, 2016

And now we're learning this:

The suspect's name was not released, but law enforcement officials told NBC News he was an 18-year-old Ohio State student, a Somali refugee who was a legal permanent resident of the United States.

The motive was unknown, but officials said the attack was clearly deliberate and may have been planned in advance.

"This was done on purpose," [Ohio State police chief Craig] Stone said.

If Walsh is right -- and I fear he is -- then welcome to Day One of the Trump Era.

Donald Trump won the presidency three weeks ago. He was a dangerous demagogue as a candidate for a year and a half before that, and a divisive blowhard from the time he became a regular Fox commentator in 2011. But this is the first breaking news event since Trump became president-elect that offers him the clear choice of responsible leadership or racism directed at an entire group of people. He's not speaking as a celebrity turned amateur pundit anymore, nor is he a fluke presidential candidate running as a longshot -- now he's speaking for America, and his words will give us a sense of how the U.S. government will respond over the next four (or eight) years at moments like this.

I'm expecting the worst. I'm expecting group slander and calls for collective punishment. I'm expecting him to make no effort to warn off vigilantes or hatemongers. It's going to be ugly.

At least he has no government power -- yet. But this will be a taste of what's to come. Brace yourselves, because it's not going to be a pleasant ride.