Former President Trump is ratcheting up the intensity of his rhetoric in the final weeks of the campaign, calling his domestic rivals “scum,” warning of migrants “conquering” American communities and suggesting he could use the military to quell protests.
Trump has for months painted a dystopian picture of the country that would be realized if he does not win in November, claiming his opponents would destroy the country or cause an economic crash.
Vice President Harris’s campaign has used some of his latest remarks to go on the attack, warning it signals the authoritarian bent that Trump would return to the White House.
“Taken with his vow to be a dictator on ‘day one,’ calls for the ‘termination’ of the Constitution, and plans to surround himself with sycophants who will give him unchecked, unprecedented power if he returns to office, this should alarm every American who cares about their freedom and security,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.
“What Donald Trump is promising is dangerous, and returning him to office is simply a risk Americans cannot afford,” he added.
Some Republicans are also a little worried about the rhetoric, fearing it could turn off some of the voters who might decide what is an extraordinarily close race between Harris and Trump.
While they say many voters brush off some of Trump’s remarks, they say it could also make a difference with a sliver of voters.
“A lot of this type of rhetoric is baked into the price of doing business with Donald Trump in the eyes of voters. They understand he says things that most other politicians would find uncouth or wouldn’t say,” said one GOP strategist who spoke anonymously to avoid criticism from the Trump campaign.
“This type of rhetoric is, I would say — if not unhelpful, it’s certainly not helpful toward reaching and winning over those voters who may still be making up their minds, who still may be evaluating between the two candidates,” the strategist continued.
Trump has always been a politician willing to go dark, but in the last few days his tone has shifted and become more threatening toward his political opponents.
On Friday, Trump held a rally in Aurora, Colo., a city of about 400,000 people that has been thrust into the spotlight because of the former president’s claims about migrant gang activity there that local officials say is misleading or exaggerated.
Trump repeatedly described the city as being “invaded,” “conquered” and “infested” with outsiders as he vowed a crackdown on migrant gangs. And he attacked “all the scum that we have to deal with that hate our country. That’s a bigger enemy than China and Russia.”
At a Saturday rally in Coachella, Calif., Trump mused that one protester in the crowd may get “the hell knocked out of her” by their pro-Trump parents.
In a Sunday interview with Fox Business Network, Trump said he was not concerned about unrest among his supporters on Election Day and instead referred again to “the enemy from within.”
“I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen,” Trump told Maria Bartiromo.
The former president has also used increasingly harsh language to attack his opponent, Vice President Harris.
At a Wisconsin rally last week, Trump called Harris “mentally impaired,” a comment that drew backlash from disability advocacy groups and some Republicans. The New York Times reported Trump called Harris “retarded” during a late September fundraiser.
But to some voters, the rhetoric blends in with much of what he’s been saying for much of the past decade since he entered the political scene.
Much of Trump’s recent remarks centers around immigration, an issue he has returned to repeatedly during the campaign, with the Aurora comments representing the most latest example.
One former Trump White House official argued fear can be an effective motivator and that Trump is using that to try and win over persuadable voters.
“You scare the crap out of people and make them believe this is it,” the official said.
Some Republicans believe that no matter where the line is, Trump will continue to make comments on the subject of immigration that dance around. They note that public opinion sides with Republicans on the border and immigration, and that polls show more voters trusts the GOP on that subject than Democrats.
“He views immigration as an inherent strength, so he’s going to double down on it,” said a second GOP operative, noting that a number of things he’s said in the past have gone too far. “And he hasn’t come close to that yet. This is a winning issue for him.”
The operative argued that the most notable time he did get over his skis came when he and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) spread the unverified claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets.
“That took on a life of its own, but this is not anywhere close to that,” the operative continued, pointing to Trump’s call for undocumented immigrants who kill police or U.S. citizens to receive the death penalty and polls showing increased support for mass deportations.
“He lives very much in the safe zone here,” they added.
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