Trump making America divided again
DONALD Trump wants to Make America Great Again. Again. Energetic campaigning for the midterm elections is the strongest sign yet that Trump is preparing for another tilt at the White House in 2024.
In recent days Trump has been spewing his usual vitriolic nonsense, attacking the “twisted race and gender teachings in schools” at one rally and calling for the death penalty at another. “If we had a meaningful penalty, death penalty … you would stop crime and drugs in the country immediately,” he said in Florida.
There is much to fear from a resurgent Trump, whose parting gift to the people of America was the appointment of a Supreme Court judge who allowed the overturning of the constitutional right to abortion.
We don’t need further winding back of human rights, and nor do we need a return to a sandpit standard of political debate. Just this week
Trump said the Democrats were “either stupid or they hate our country”. Trump’s re-emergence on the national political stage comes as his former favourite social media platform, Twitter, appears to be opening the way for his return.
Trump’s current platform, Truth Social, is available only in the US and is struggling financially. A move to Twitter, which has 400 million users globally, would signal Trump is back in a big way.
With most of the Twitter staff responsible for toning down hatred and bigotry sacked since Musk took over, Trump is likely to have free rein to spread his divisive diatribes far and wide. Musk the “free speech absolutist” may be proud the “bird is freed” but everyone else is worried about the sharp dive in standards on the platform given the lack of moderation.
These days, it’s hard to imagine Trump’s two tweets about the deadly storming of the capitol that directly led to him being banned from the platform would be a problem now.
The re-emergence of racial hatred is also a concern. We don’t need political leaders like Trump making racist and bigoted remarks without consequence on social media, regardless of the platform.
New research suggests racial issues were one reason for Trump’s success in 2016.
As the US recovers from a series of violent racial incidents that divided the nation, the last thing it needs is Trump spewing his racist filth on Twitter or anywhere.
It’s no wonder US federal intelligence agencies are warning of possible political violence from farright extremists.
Polls show Republicans are expected to win control of the congress, with the senate less certain. Having the numbers in either house would enable the Republicans to block President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, which could cripple him in the lead-up to 2024.
The Republicans have the best line-up of talent in years and they don’t need Trump, who isn’t campaigning for the party, but for himself. Trump would not make America great. He’d divide America even further, and that’s the last thing anyone needs.