With less than a month until the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump’s rhetoric reached a new, spine-tingling low this past weekend.
The front-runner in the Republican primary stated that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the US and cited Russian President Vladimir Putin to describe how “rotten” American democracy is.
Thousands of supporters cheered the former president on Saturday at a hockey rink in New Hampshire as he once again used language reminiscent of Nazi Germany when he said that immigrants, primarily from South America, Asia, and Africa, were “poisoning the blood of our country.”
The reelection campaign of President Joe Biden claimed that the language “parrots Adolf Hitler.” Experts cited statements made by the future dictator in his manifesto “Mein Kampf” calling for racial purity and claiming that Jews were “poisoned” German blood.
Trump may be incorporating the line into his routine because he has already used it in an interview with a conservative news organization and at a rally.
Last month, he came under fire for calling his political opponents “vermin,” a term with antisemitic overtones that was also used in Nazi discourse.
More terrifying than their initial utterance is the way these lines are repeated after their fascist origins are pointed out. In some swing-state polls of a potential rematch, the former president leads Biden. He has a history of using language that capitalises on racial prejudice and inflames the right wing.
If he hadn’t been repeating his recent claim that he wants to be a “dictator” for a while in order to build his border wall and stop immigration, people would probably laugh him off as a joke.
During a rally on Sunday night in Reno, Nevada, the third state nominated by the GOP, Trump asserted, without providing any supporting data, that the majority of migrants come from jails and mental health facilities. And he questioned whether Chinese migrants crossing the border are intended to be a part of an invading army, again without providing any proof. Trump pledged to restructure the US government to eliminate immigration. He declared that the United States was now a “haven for bloodthirsty criminals” and threatened to remove immigrants from the nation by using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Additionally, the former president pledged to refocus the Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI on border operations.
Citing autocratic leaders is hardly surprising anymore.
Prior to Trump’s most recent remarks, Republican former House Speaker Paul Ryan declared last week that “he’s a populist, authoritarian narcissist.” Thus, historically speaking, all of his inclinations are essentially the result of his narcissism, which is what makes him feel good and popular at any given time.
Freedoms are eliminated by dictators, but Trump—who attempted to rig the 2020 election after losing—needs an electoral win to get there. He declared, to applause, that “we are not a free nation” on Saturday and referred to his campaign as a “righteous campaign to liberate this nation.”
When Trump praises authoritarian leaders, like Kim Jong Un of North Korea or Viktor Orban of Hungary, it is no longer even startling, as he demonstrated on Saturday in New Hampshire.
However, Trump went one step further and refuted the notion advanced by his opponents, such as Biden and former Representative Liz Cheney, that he poses a threat to democracy by making an effort to void the outcome of the last election.
Trump now claims that Biden is the “threat to democracy.”
Trump used Putin’s statement from September, in which he claimed that Trump’s legal issues are the result of “politically motivated persecution” that benefits Russia, to support his allegation. Trump continued, quoting the president of Russia, “‘It shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.”
In actuality, Putin is aware of corrupt systems and the practice of imprisoning political opponents; in fact, supporters of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s main adversary, are unable to locate the dissident leader who is incarcerated for 19 years.
Trump is in the midst of several criminal trials. If he is tried at all, juries will have to find him guilty by unanimous verdicts. Prosecutors have asked the US Supreme Court, which is composed of three of his appointees, to rule on whether or not Trump is exempt from prosecution due to his status as a former president.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of Trump’s competitors for the Republican presidential nomination, claimed that the ongoing legal proceedings are fueling the president’s escalating rhetoric.
On Sunday’s “State of the Union,” CNN’s Jake Tapper was told by Christie that “Donald Trump realises the walls are closing in.” “He’s getting more insane. Furthermore, he is now using Vladimir Putin—a murderous thug with a global reputation—as a character witness.
Republicans who support Trump, such as South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, don’t seem to give a damn what the former president has to say.
We are discussing language. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Graham stated, “I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right.” However, he also made it clear that he disagrees with the analogy of poisoned blood. “I support lawful immigration,” I don’t harbour any ill will towards those who attempt to enter our nation. I harbour enmity for both drug dealers and terrorists.
Trump attacks opponents with his own warnings about them
A classic Trump move is to twist a warning about him and use it as a rallying cry for his supporters.
He didn’t refer to the mainstream media as “fake news” until after Hillary Clinton issued a warning about a widespread spread of false information. The Washington Post reports that on December 10, 2016, Trump used the term for the first time in a tweet. He’s said it so many times, even at the event in New Hampshire, that he now asserts that he invented it.
In a similar vein, he has falsely and repeatedly called the notion that he lost the 2020 election a “big lie,” squelching warnings that his insistence that the results were fabricated would eventually persuade his supporters by comparing it to the tactics of Nazi propagandists. The book “Mein Kampf” also uses the phrase “big lie.” In an August CNN poll, almost 70% of Republicans and GOP-leaning voters said they didn’t think Biden’s victory was legitimate.
Christie was also shown a videotape of Trump saying that immigrants were “poisoning the blood of the country.”
He’s repulsive, Christie declared. And he’s dog whistling to put the blame on people from places that don’t look like us, which is extremely stressful for Americans who feel pressured by the global conflicts and the state of the economy.
Christie countered that Republicans might still support Trump in spite of the remarks rather than as a result of them.
Two CBS News/YouGov polls of the contest released on Sunday indicate that Trump is leading the Republican primary field in both New Hampshire and Iowa.
With 44% of likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire supporting him, Trump leads former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (29%), Florida governor Ron DeSantis (11%), Christie (10%), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (5%) and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson (1%).
With 58% of likely Republican caucus attendees in Iowa supporting him, Trump leads DeSantis (22%), Haley (13%), Ramaswamy (4%), Christie (3%) and Hutchinson (less than 1%).
The potential electorates in each state vary significantly, as CBS points out. While just 26% of likely GOP caucus attendees in Iowa agree, 57% of New Hampshire’s GOP primary voters believe abortion should be legal in their state. Among likely GOP caucus attendees in Iowa, 48% say they identify as members of the MAGA movement, compared to 33% of likely primary voters in New Hampshire.
Unlike Christie, the majority of Republican contenders are not criticising Trump due to his influence within the party.
The anti-Trump Republican governor of New Hampshire, Haley, stated in an interview with ABC News that while Trump was the right president at the right time, he will have to answer to the courts on January 6, 2021, for his actions. The nation must progress past that level of chaos, she said.
Haley, who held Trump’s position as ambassador to the UN, claimed that her strategy was distinct. “No drama, no grudges, no complaining.”
Before the first Republicans begin to speak out in favour of the American system that Trump cited Putin as saying is flawed, she has one month to sell that strategy.
