Former President Trump Faces Backlash for Shocking Offensive and Delusional Remarks

“An offensive spectacle that invites division.”

 

Vice President Kamala Harris (59) expressed her discomfort at her election rally. The cause was the “inflammatory remarks” directed at her by former President Donald Trump (78), her opponent in the U.S. presidential election.

 

“Harris suddenly became Black.”

 

This statement was made at a meeting of the Black Journalists Association held in Chicago on July 31. The comment has been widely reported and has continued to spark significant controversy. 

“The poll numbers are tight between Harris and her opponents. While there may have been some desperation, this was not an offhand comment; it was a calculated statement meant to generate discussion.”( said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a professor at Sophia University specializing in modern American politics and diplomacy)

International journalist Toshiro Yamada, who covered the event live, also views Trump’s remarks as part of his election strategy.

“There was laughter in the audience. Harris has long been open about her father being Black. However, Trump falsely claimed that Harris recently started asserting her Black roots for electoral purposes. It’s clear that he aims to attract votes from Black voters who might not support Harris.”

It goes without saying that Trump’s inflammatory remarks are not a new phenomenon.. 

“Between March 2011 and September 2016, before the Trump administration came into power, Trump repeatedly attacked then-President Barack Obama (63) in FOX News interviews and his own rallies, claiming Obama was ‘born in Kenya’ and ‘not eligible to be president because he was not born in America.’ Although these statements were quickly recognized as false, anti-Obama factions supported them. This exposed the surprising extent of support for Trump within American society.” (said Maeshima)

Trump’s discriminatory remarks have also targeted immigrants. According to Yamada:

“He has made derogatory comments about immigrants from El Salvador, calling their country ‘like a cesspool,’ and claimed that immigrants from Mexico ‘bring crime and drugs’ and ‘taint the blood of America.’”

In September 2015, during a magazine interview, Trump made a derogatory comment about Carly Fiorina (69), a female candidate in the nomination race, saying, “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that as the next president?” This remark was widely criticized as an example of lookism.

 

To promote his “America First” ideology, Trump has also repeatedly made inflammatory statements by comparing the U.S. to other countries. 

 

“He boasts that if he were president, he would end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine within 24 hours. He also suggests that the U.S. should stop supporting Ukraine. His comment to Joe Biden (81) during a public debate, ‘You’re a Palestinian,’ is meant to convey that if money is being sent to Palestine, it should be redirected to domestic needs.” (said a reporter from a national newspaper’s foreign news department)

 

In July of this year, Trump made another controversial statement. According to Yamada:

 

“In January 2021, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in five deaths. Trump suggested that he would grant pardons to the perpetrators if re-elected. This statement not only undermines democracy but also incites criminal behavior, seeming to encourage his supporters to act similarly if he loses the upcoming election.” 

 

Maeshima is appalled by the repeated extreme remarks in the election campaign.

 

“Even so, Trump will likely solidify his base, but there are limits. He is not a strong candidate who can lead the entire country. At this stage, Harris is on a similar level, competing against Trump. Since both are weak candidates and are in a close race, Trump is resorting to repeated inflammatory remarks to make a difference. This is the current situation.”

 

Will the king of offensive remarks be re-elected? The American people are faced with a difficult choice.

From the August 23-30, 2024 issue of ‘FRIDAY’.