Tough-guy talk about āradical-left lunaticsā is an extreme spin on an old playbook but plays well with his Republican base
Donald Trump delights in railing against his enemies, and when protesters set up encampments at college campuses nationwide to decry Israelās invasion of Gaza, the former US president gained another useful antagonist.
For some observers, Trumpās language is both dangerous in the current political environment as he seeks to rile up his base and a dark hint at how he might treat dissent and demonstrations should he defeatĀ Joe BidenĀ and achieve his ambition of returning to the White House in 2025.
His language is certainly extreme.
āThese are radical-left lunatics, and theyāve got to be stopped now,ā Trump said earlier this month outside the Manhattan courtroom where he isĀ being tried on business fraud charges.
The day prior, police hadĀ rounded up demonstrators at Columbia University, home to one of the most contentious protest sites. Trump called the sweep āa beautiful thing to watchā.
No loyalty whatsoever. These kids are going to get him reelected and in return he is making plans to target them?
You know, I have held my tongue so far, but this Trump fella, he might be a bad dude.
Biden is withholding weapons from Netanyahu. Protest works.
As long as itās a protest that doesnāt end with the country burning down.
Maybe if centrists keep referring to anti-genocide protesters using the same language Republicans used for BLM, Biden will start sending bombs again.