How Trump is bullying Harris

It’s time for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ closing arguments. But Trump’s closing argument is not a closing argument at all: it is an invitation. He and his campaign are acting in hopes of provoking Harris by pushing her to muddy her latest message.

The statements and sentiments demonstrated by the Trump campaign last week, and especially at Sunday night’s rally in Madison Square Garden, were racist, xenophobic and cruel. Here are some of them: comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, invited by the Trump campaign, called Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.” Radio host Sid Rosenberg described the Democratic Party as “a bunch of degenerates, scum” and “Jew haters.” Private Equity Fund Manager Grant Cardone said that Harris has “pimps.” And Trump adviser Stephen Miller said that “America is only for Americans and Americans.”

This incendiary language is not only a crude attempt to excite critics; it’s part of a pattern of hate from Trump and his closest allies, and the kind of rhetoric that Trump has made clear he intends to include in his plans as president. But while Trump continues to impose decorum on American politics, he is also trying to incite the opposition. His campaign ramps up a familiar and often effective cycle: He says or encourages something inflammatory, then proceeds to blame his opponents or members of the media for overreacting, sometimes while trying to rewrite his own statements. After he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would not be a dictator.”except the first dayHe later said he was just joking, trying to make those who took him seriously seem dramatic. This is an example of what my colleague Megan Garber said recently. called trollligarchy: “A troll always reserves the right to joke,” she wrote. – Even in matters of life and death.

Strong reactions from Democrats or journalists are strategically useful for Trump, and he knows it. Like Trump said at Sunday’s rally: “When I say ‘the enemy from within'” – referring to a phrase he often uses to describe anyone not part of the MAGA world – “the other side is going crazy.” Kamala Harris herself usually avoided take the baitalthough she has gone on the offensive in recent days, calling Trump a fascist for the first time since New York Times published remarks by former White House chief of staff John Kelly in which he said Trump fits the definition of the word. But she consistently returns to the idea of ​​unity. Speaking to reporters today, she said, “When I’m elected president, I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me.”

However, others on her campaign weren’t so cautious. At an event earlier this week, Tim Walz said of the MSG rally, “There is a direct parallel to the great rally that happened in the mid-1930s at Madison Square Garden,” apparently referring to Pro-Nazi rally 1939 it happened in the same arena. And during a call with a group of Latino voters last night, President Joe Biden remarked: “The only trash I see out there are his supporters – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American.” Although Biden later said he said “supporters”, referring to Hinchcliffe’s quote about Puerto Rico, and Harris quickly distanced itself from an oversight, the damage was done. Biden’s mistake is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s disparaging comment about Trump supporters to Trump supporters during her 2016 campaign, a comparison Trumpworld was quick to make. MAGA allies soon began campaigning on Biden’s comment, and the Trump campaign even funds raised from this.

By provoking and then clearly enjoying the dramatic reactions of their critics, Trump and his team are encouraging a sense of vitriol toward their fellow Americans—feelings that Trump has fueled for years by calling his political opponents enemies, “parasites,” “crazy.” and “bandits”. Harris and her team will make a much stronger closing statement if they refuse to give Trump the pleasure of being the centerpiece of their campaign. But the challenge for the American voter is also to resist the bait of outrage that Trump is stoking and to abandon the path of revenge that he represents.

Connected:

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Today’s news

1. A divided Supreme Court allowed Virginia to continue its program aimed at… suspected non-citizen voterswhich could lead to the deletion of more than 1,600 voter registrations.
2. There were at least 95 people. killed after heavy rain caused dangerous flooding in the Spanish region of Valencia.
3. An 18-year-old man was arrested near an early voting site in Florida after he brandishing a machete for two people who support Vice President Kamala Harris. According to media reports, the video shows him holding a machete while his comrades wave Trump flags. New York Times.

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Departures

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Evening reading

Tobacco companies may have found a way to make vaping more addictive

Nicholas Florco

When a friend pulled out her vape at a baseball playoff party earlier this month, it immediately caught my attention. I used to be amazed at the variety of disposable e-cigarettes she bought every time her last cigarette ran out of nicotine—weird flavors, seemingly endless brands—but this product was different. He had a screen. While she smoked a cigarette, the device played a goofy animation that reminded me of a rudimentary version of Pac-Man.

In the name of journalism, I went to my local smoke shop this week and sure enough, vapes with screens were everywhere.

Read the entire article.

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Investigate. Why baseball players always eat? Caitlin Tiffany explores why Americans’ pastime is playing snacks.

Look. IN Conclave (in cinemas now) The Cardinals are angry when the Pope dies, writes Shirley Lee.

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Stephanie Bye contributed to this newsletter.

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