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And yet, ambiguity remains. Without audio confirmation, the whisper exists in a space between certainty and speculation. That uncertainty has not diminished its symbolic power; if anything, it has amplified it. In a polarized nation, people often hear what they expect to hear. The phrase becomes a mirror reflecting existing fears and loyalties.
What lingers, ultimately, is not just the alleged remark but what it represents. A country divided into camps that cheer and protest in the same room. A political culture where even a half-heard whisper can ignite national debate. A growing sense that the language of reconciliation is giving way to the language of retribution. Whether the words were exactly as reported may matter less than the fact that so many Americans found them plausible.
