CNN —
Even by his insane standards, Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric and actions are outrageous, authoritarian, and vulgar, and if elected president in 15 days, he’ll have four years of unpredictability. This suggests that there may be new leadership in store.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic leaders are capitalizing on the Republican candidate’s bizarre antics to inject new urgency and sharper focus into his campaign, saying he is “degrading” the presidency. He claims that he is “crazy”. As President Trump cancels one-on-one interviews and makes increasingly bizarre public appearances, Democrats are using the same criticisms he once used against President Joe Biden. , suggesting President Trump is “unstable” and exhibiting cognitive decline. For example, the Harris campaign was quick to highlight that the 78-year-old Trump said on Sunday that he was “not that close to 80” when he requested a cognitive test.
Over the weekend, the former president described Harris as a “shithole” vice president, kicked off a rally with a rambling and revealing talk about the anatomy of the late golf legend Arnold Palmer, and said he had enemies “even from within.” justified earlier threats to use military force. House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Trump did not mean that at all.
President Trump appeared to justify his message that Harris was a “dishonest person” and that there would be “very serious” consequences if she was returned to the White House. Both sides are chasing the last undecided voters in a tight race that could be decided by a few dozen people. Thousands of votes in several battleground states.
But Mr. Trump’s years of shattered expectations for presidential behavior seem to provide him with a kind of immunity from the consequences of actions that would have been career-ending for most other politicians. The twice-impeached, once-convicted former president’s outlandish antics only emphasize his anti-establishment credentials for the millions of Americans who adore him.
His alarming behavior may appear to some as a candidate melting down when the pressure was at its most extreme. But the election could be determined by other factors.
With the polls deadlocked, Trump’s actions have not yet disqualified him. And he consistently leads polls when voters are asked who they trust most to manage high housing and food prices and deal with immigration.
The White House has failed to neutralize both of these issues politically, paving the way for their effectiveness in the 2024 campaign. Officials repeatedly insisted that the rise in inflation early in Biden’s term was “temporary” and that the economy was healthy even as millions of Americans suffered. Similarly, government spokesmen have long been reluctant to characterize the rise in border crossings as a “crisis” despite the strained asylum system. Both immigration numbers and inflation rates have fallen significantly from their peaks, but political damage may have been done. And Trump’s voters still see him as a receptacle for their dissatisfaction with a political and economic system that they believe is not serving them well.
It’s up to voters to decide how they perceive Trump’s recent actions.
Harris’ campaign, which began as an attempt to spread joy, is now taking full advantage of President Trump’s rhetorical rampage.
“The president of the United States must set the standard” for this country and the world, the vice president told the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC on Sunday. “What I see from my opponent, the former president of the United States, demeans the integrity of the president,” she said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, said Saturday in Nebraska that Trump lacks the “stamina” to become president and is “far less qualified than he was in 2016. It’s even crazier,” he said.
On the same day in Nevada, former President Barack Obama said that Trump had “repeatedly called military personnel who died in combat ‘losers,’ completely ignored the Constitution, and simply disrespected people, making excuses.” He criticized the Republican Party, calling his fellow citizens “pests” or “enemies within.” ”
The most alarming of Trump’s recent comments is his suggestion that he might deploy the U.S. military or National Guard against the “enemy from within,” a typical refrain from authoritarian leaders. . When asked who he was referring to, Trump mentioned several times former California Democratic Party Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, a central figure in Trump’s first impeachment.
But even as CNN’s Jake Tapper played a tape specifically mentioning Schiff and Pelosi, Johnson said on “State of the Union” that Trump had “destroyed public property and threatened other Americans.” It specifically referred to the “predations of dangerous and violent groups”. And in an interview aired on Fox’s “Media Buzz” later Sunday, the former president once again clarified what exactly he meant when he said “of course” Schiff was the enemy.
It is difficult to imagine a situation in which a U.S. president would direct the U.S. military against a domestic enemy, and it is difficult to imagine U.S. military personnel or their superiors participating. But the fact that a presidential candidate who seems to have a 50-50 chance of winning is speaking in such terms is emblematic of another taboo broken by President Trump. And it shows that concerns about his second term are not overstated. President Trump’s comments do not occur in isolation. He has dedicated his second term to “vengeance” and vowed to use the Justice Department to investigate his enemies. And the Supreme Court’s ruling that the president has broad immunity for official actions reinforced Trump’s mistaken view that the president has near-absolute power.
In another sign of strongman instincts, President Trump said Harris should be investigated in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview because her editorial presentation differed from CBS’s editorial presentation. “We’re going to subpoena their records because we want to know how much else she did,” he said on “MediaBuzz.” The former president, who withdrew his appearance on “60 Minutes,” had previously suggested that CBS should have its broadcast license revoked over the interview, raising concerns about his potential policies as president. is increasing.
The former president repeated false claims in a Fox News interview that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating dogs and cats, as his supporters tried to overturn the certification of Biden’s election victory.Jan. 6, 2021 He said it was a “beautiful day”. And love. ”
Questions about President Trump’s physical fitness and cognitive ability
Some of the former president’s comments and actions have also led opponents to question his ability to serve and draw sharp contrasts with Harris, who turned 60 on Sunday.
For example, after an interview at the Chicago Economic Club last week, the former president struggled to stay focused and questioned his grasp of facts and economic logic. President Trump justified his ramblings as demonstrating what he claimed was a “weaving” of talking about multiple ideas at once, a rare cognitive ability. But the scene raises questions about Trump’s ability to handle complex issues in the Oval Office and during national security crises.
Also last week, the former president canceled the event and swayed to his own soundtrack for more than 30 minutes after some in the crowd attending a City Hall rally required medical treatment.
And on Saturday, he opened a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, speaking at length about Palmer, who grew up in the town and died in 2016. He ended his assault with an obscene description of the late golfer’s genitals. Palmer is remembered by fans as the epitome of class and sportsmanship, and President Trump’s decision to cite the seven-time major champion in such a manner was in bad taste. This episode showed that almost nothing is immune from being exploited for his personal or political purposes.
Trump’s decision to rely on explicit locker room talk seemed particularly questionable in an election where he is trying to reduce his disadvantage among women voters and moderates in battleground states. Also, as turmoil spread overseas, Harris drowned out closing arguments that she represented the continuation of Biden’s failed presidency, plagued by rising prices, mass illegal immigration, and a slide toward World War III. It also meant political injustice.
But the idea that Mr. Trump’s lewdness would turn away many voters is belied by his experience in 2016 and the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which he bragged as a celebrity that he could grab women by their genitals and get away with it. And even if trying to steal the election doesn’t disqualify Trump from being the Republican nominee, it’s unlikely that his off-topic comments about the golfer will hurt him.
The former president polarized the country and created a unique political environment. For example, liberals and media elites might view his appearance Sunday making fries at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania as a stunt. Mr. Walz denounced this as an insult by wealthy tycoons who have been “pushing up workers’ wages” for decades. But for Trump supporters, the photoshoot could convey a sense of authenticity and familiarity.
This support among the Republican base explains why the party repeatedly tolerates his crude and anti-democratic behavior. That’s why Mr Johnson defended his party’s candidates in the State of the Union address, and he could be called upon to defend constitutional governance in a contested election. Therefore, the alarm bells were especially rang.
In a country where a majority believes things are headed in the wrong direction and where Harris said this month that she couldn’t name a single thing she would have done differently than Biden, Trump His recent erratic behavior may not be decisive.
We are winning and we will continue to win, not because of what Donald Trump has said, but because of what they’ve been doing for four years,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said it would be. Biden-Harris administration. “The American people will not tolerate four more years of a price crisis, a world on fire, broken borders, and energy dependence,” the South Carolina Republican added. They don’t have any other games to play. ”
Regardless of what voters decide, Trump’s unruly closing argument suggests that major political turmoil awaits if he wins.
