The weekend saw a typical display of the American media’s fixation on perceived flaws in Democratic candidates while ignoring the more significant issue of a Republican threatening the end of the republic. Donald Trump’s speech at an NRA event on Friday evening included disturbing promises of door-to-door efforts to detain migrants in enormous camps along the border. The speech ended with chilling words that resembled those of Hitler and revealed Trump’s dangerous rhetoric. What is even more concerning is that Trump has made similar promises before, using language reminiscent of Hitler’s speeches. The complicit silence of the national press adds to the fear surrounding Trump’s statements.
While Trump isn’t explicitly promising a “final solution” to any problem, his promise of a “final battle” to “drive out globalists” is not much different. This idea of casting out communists and engaging in a final battle is not new for Trump. He has used similar phrases in previous speeches, making the same promises to his supporters. These promises, written out as a single block of text, are not random or one-off statements from Trump. They are his standard closing, his promise to the nation. By promising to drive out globalists, cast out communists, and throw off the political class, Trump is making dangerous and potentially violent declarations.
The word that best describes what Trump is promising is pogrom. In the same weekend, Trump also informed European allies that he intended to violate the NATO treaty and encouraged Russia to do as they pleased. Despite these alarming statements, The New York Times focused on President Joe Biden’s age instead of Trump’s threats. Only later did they report on Trump’s promise to break the NATO accords and how Republicans were downplaying his statements. Republicans claimed not to be concerned, dismissing Trump’s words as just typical of him. This dismissive attitude is similar to how the national media treats Trump’s declarations of purging political opponents and conducting a purge of “globalists” and “communists.”
The media’s tendency to downplay and dismiss Trump’s statements as mere rhetoric is dangerous. By failing to hold him accountable, they allow him to continue his divisive and potentially harmful rhetoric. The focus on trivial matters, such as grammar mistakes by Biden, instead of the serious threats posed by Trump is concerning. It is crucial for the media to prioritize reporting on the significant issues at hand and to hold Trump accountable for his words and actions. The nation cannot afford to ignore the dangerous path Trump is leading the country down.
