Trump Rhetoric Strategy: Fear, Cruelty, and Gamesmanship
Guest blogger: Niel Valmores, law student, University of San Francisco:
For the past few years, we have watched Donald Trump spout rhetoric condemning groups of people and individual persons – and inciting his support base to do the same. For someone who has won the title of “leader of the free world,” many question this type of leadership. What Trump does is encourage fear, cruelty, and gamesmanship at the peril of unity and democracy. Does this make a great leader?
It is undeniable that the Trump administration has continued to use fear and cruelty to drive out documented and undocumented immigrants and to convince others to want the same. Whether it’s professing that undocumented immigrants are the cause of crime in the United States or encouraging people to fear the migrating caravan, Trump has repeatedly condemned both undocumented immigrants and immigrants alike. About undocumented immigrants, Trump has said, “These aren’t people. These are animals.”
Trump has used the same fear and cruelty to address media as well. The UN has even warned that the Trump’s “vitriolic rhetoric” could result in “violence against journalists.” In November 2018, Trump demeaned African American journalist Abby Phillip. In response to one of her questions at a press briefing, Trump snapped, “What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question. I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions.” Did the most powerful man in the world verbally abuse this journalist? Do his actions convince others that it is sane to do the same?
In an interview, Trump used the term “Hillary Clinton fan” and “Obama backer” to describe retired Admiral William H. McRaven, the commander of the 2011 operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. Trump claimed that Bin Laden should have been gotten “a lot sooner” since “everybody in Pakistan knew he was there.” Here, Trump attempts to correlate being a Hillary/Obama supporter to making problematic military decisions. What do Trump’s attacks on a person’s character have to do with politics or the agenda of a President? The only answer is that Trump is continuously moving to instill fear and cruelty into his supporters with notions of hatred – all to improve his support base and continue his gamesmanship administration.
We have at least two more years of Trump’s administration, likely including this type of rhetoric, as well. How far will this divide the country? Can we admit that many of the personal and group attacks that Trump condones are appalling? I remain convinced that his professions are more than appalling – they are irresponsible. The core of the issue with Trump’s statements are that they divide the American people, whether it’s Democrat vs. Republican, pro-immigrant vs. anti-immigrant, white vs. black, and more – inviting hatred, splitting the country, inciting fear, and encouraging violence.
At a minimum, we should all agree on the irony that if previous presidents, and especially former President Barack Obama, had used the same words and rhetoric which Trump evokes, President Obama would have faced much more criticism from the public and indeed, Trump would still call him “stupid.”
President Trump does not fix problems, instead he incites and encourages them. He will call the media “fake news,” but won’t report the truth. As the Democratic party has become more and more energized, Trump has ramped up his rhetoric and divisive behavior. Questions remain: How far will Trump push his fear and violence inciting rhetoric, and will it ever end?
bh