The reasonable question underlying Trump's “garbage” silliness

There was an avalanche of tainted rhetoric at Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but one quote stood out: A comedian supporting the former president described Puerto Rico as “a floating island of trash,” which didn't go over particularly well with Puerto Ricans voters.

A few days later, President Joe Biden weighed in on the controversy, telling a group of Latino voters: “The only garbage I see floating out there is that of his supporters – his – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American.” “ .”

A bitter argument over an apostrophe soon followed as Trump, his allies, his party and conservative media feigned outrage, interpreting the comments as a continuation of Hillary Clinton's “deplorable” line from eight years ago.

Vice President Kamala Harris — who, unlike the sitting president, is actually voting this year — quickly distanced herself from the quote that Republicans claimed to be offended by, telling reporters: “I agree with any criticism of people based on that “I don't agree at all with who they voted for.”

Trump still tried to capitalize on the fake controversy by showing up in a Trump-branded garbage truck and holding a rally while wearing a trash collector vestand advertising pictures of himself wearing the outfit.

It wasn't subtle.

The theatrics were annoying and desperate, but after the former president's trash-focused campaign rally, he managed to post something interesting on his social media platform. It was a straightforward, 20-word message written in all caps that I transposed to make it easier to read: “You can't lead America if you don't love Americans – and you can't be president.” if “You hate the American people!”

Oddly enough, the claim was quite convincing. It was also self-destructive.

If the 2024 race is about which candidate did more to convict Americans, the GOP can probably expect to lose 50 states.

One of the things that makes Trump unique as a political figure is his willingness to condemn his own country. Voters have seen and heard him criticize the United States as a “failing nation,” a “nation in decline,” “evil,” and more recently, a “dumpster.” Trump recalled in a recent interview that America is a great country and said he disagreed.

But the Republican candidate has been equally eager to denigrate Americans with whom he disagrees. They are “the enemy within.” They are “evil”. They are “terrible people.” They are “scum.”

In 2018, referring to about half of his country's voters, he declared: “I have to tell you, anyone who votes for a Democrat now is crazy.”

On Veterans Day 2023, Trump even went so far as to post an online message promising to “eradicate the communists, Marxists, fascists and radical left-wing thugs who live like vermin in the borders of our country.” A few months later, the GOP candidate linked the Americans who opposed him to the foreign enemies the United States fought in World War II.

“You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans”? Does this mean Trump is ending his candidacy?