Trump's dark embrace of police violence

If you think Donald Trump's speeches are more of the same this campaign cycle, consider analysis from the person who knows more about them than anyone else.

“They thought they were going to be out there jumping up and down saying, 'Make America great again,'” this observer noted of a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday. “I’m just saying, that’s a dark – that’s a dark speech.”

That sharp-eyed expert was Donald Trump, who provided better analysis than much of the press coverage. As Trump himself noted, things are particularly dark and troubling for him, even by his own standards. I wrote late last year about how Americans have become understandably desensitized to his most extreme rhetoric, while at the same time he takes a darker tone. Now he has clearly exceeded this level, barely a month before the election.

From the January/February 2024 issue: Trump is not bluffing

It's not easy to capture the low points of the last few days, but it's likely Trump's suggestion that an hour of widespread, extrajudicial violence by police would be an effective way to combat crime. Maybe this sounds like a caricature; If anything, there is a risk that Trump's ideas will be watered down in normal language. Trump was speaking in Erie, Pennsylvania, in the middle of an argument about how high crime is (that's false, as I've reported), which he attributed in part to police being prevented from being tough enough on suspects to proceed.

“The police are not allowed to do their job. You are told: If you do anything, you lose your pension, you lose your family, your house, your car” he said. “A hard hour, and I mean really hard, will get around and end immediately. Quit immediately. You know? It will end immediately.”

The idea is reminiscent of the Clean Film series set in an America where every crime is legal once a year for 12 hours. The difference is that in the films this is portrayed as dystopian; For Trump, this is a shining ideal, as long as it is the police who are acting unlawfully. (The former president had a hard time distinguishing horror movies from reality, as in his constant musings about “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” the serial killer of cannibals The Silence of the Lambs. He really is Ronald Reagan's heir.)

Read: Trump's new big lie

Although he has long complained about curbing police brutality, this goes beyond that. A campaign spokesman said this Politically It was a joke, which is a common excuse used by advisers when Trump crosses the line. There was nothing in his tone that suggested carelessness. This is what I have called the Trump Two-Step, which allows him to present an idea to his supporters but half-heartedly distance himself from it.

Trump's police-led purge would — along with many laws, common decency and common sense — violate the Fourth through Eighth Amendments to the Constitution. Trump's rejection of the rule of law is comprehensive: He is angry that people suspected of crimes like shoplifting are not prosecuted, but he is also angry that he himself is prosecuted when he is accused of crimes. Earlier this month, he promised retribution for those members of law enforcement who tried to hold him accountable, “including lengthy prison sentences.” In other words: They would not only lose their pension or their car, but also their freedom. He also promises to pardon those who ransacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Policing is only for those Trump hates. He and his friends get a pass.

In Erie, Trump immediately moved — without transition or context — from that observation to repeating a statement from the Wisconsin rally. “The corrupt Joe Biden was mentally disabled, but honestly I believe Kamala Harris was born that way,” he said. “Something is wrong with Kamala. And I just don't know what it is, but there's definitely something missing.” As with some previous insults, this is a remarkably efficient way of delivering an insult aimed at the elderly, the mentally disabled and Harris – who is neither – insulted in one breath.

Read: Trump's two steps

The phrase was so bad that it sparked revulsion among Republicans after Trump used it for the first time on Saturday. But Trump knows that they will tut-tut, but otherwise stick strictly to his line and then move on soon, which is why he used it again the next day. The second time was not just a provocation for Harris and the Democrats, but a reminder to the Republicans of how powerless and sycophantic they are.

After Trump called Harris a “stupid person,” the crowd began chanting “Lock her up” as Trump looked on approvingly. Harris has not been charged with any crime, let alone credibly accused. Your offense here is probably aimed at Trump.

Should we continue? In “Erie,” he delivered an incomprehensible parody of the evilness of undocumented immigrants, comparing them favorably to Hollywood stars, and ending with a line perhaps borrowed from comedian Jeff Dunham: “I'll kill you!” but who knows? ? This is one of the strangest things I've ever heard from Trump.

Trump also claimed again, still without evidence, that there was widespread vote-counting fraud in large, heavily black cities, including Philadelphia, Detroit and Atlanta. “If God came down from above and said, 'I will be your ballot for this election,' I would leave this podium immediately because I wouldn't have to speak. “We wouldn’t have a problem,” he said. This has been a banner year for candidates expecting divine intervention in their presidential campaigns, but most theologians would be surprised if God came down from above to intervene in such a secular matter. It would be surprising if that was even his first concern about Trump.

Read: Trump campaign wants everyone to talk about race

And on Friday, Trump threatened to prosecute Google for allegedly only showing bad stories about itself and good ones about Harris, which is a claim without evidence and doesn't break the law anyway. This threat is a good reminder that Trump focused his campaign on a promise to use the power of the federal government to punish anyone who insults him. With material like this, is it any wonder that a web search turns up so many negative stories about him?

It's unclear why Trump is suddenly ranting and raving even more than usual. When Biden dropped out of the race and Harris stepped in for him, Trump lashed out, angry that his path to re-election had been disrupted. The election has now stabilized somewhat. Polls suggest the race will be exceptionally close – with some analysts predicting it could be the closest ever. Most data shows Harris with a small but fragile lead. Although many Harris supporters despair that the race could be so close, this is an opportunity for Trump. By avoiding the harshest rhetoric that has consistently turned voters away from him, Trump may be able to close that gap and win. Instead, he turns it up. Maybe Trump is upset about something that isn't apparent to outsiders. Maybe he's arguing that the most controversial issues are actually winners for him, and maybe he's right. Or maybe he just can't help himself.