- Jason Stanley, a Yale professor and writer of a book on fascism, stated Trump‘s repeated use of that language was risky.
- In October, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed criticism of the former president’s language as “silly,” arguing that similar language is widespread in books, news articles, and television.
- Trump is the front-runner for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination and has made border security a central theme of his campaign.
During a campaign event in New Hampshire, Trump railed against the record of immigrants trying to cross the US border illegally. If elected to a second four-year term, Trump has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and limit legal immigration.
“They are poisoning the blood of our country,” Trump told a rally of several thousand supporters in Durham, adding that immigrants are coming to America from Asia and Africa in addition to South America.
Poisons the blood
Trump used the same “blood poisoning” language during an interview with the right-wing website The National Pulse published in late September.
It prompted condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League, whose president Jonathan Greenblatt called the language “racist, racist and hateful”.
Jason Stanley, a Yale professor and writer of a book on fascism, stated Trump’s repeated use of that language was risky. He said Trump’s words echoed the rhetoric of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who in his political treatise “Mein Kampf” warned against the poisoning of German blood by Jews.
In October, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed criticism of the former president’s language as “silly,” arguing that similar language is widespread in books, news articles, and television.
When asked for comment on Saturday, Cheung did not directly address Trump’s comments, but instead referred to controversies over how US colleges handle campus protests after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying the media and academics have “provided a haven for dangerous opposition.” The anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas rhetoric is dangerous and dangerous.”
Trump’s prepared remarks distributed to the media before Saturday’s event did not contain the language “poisoning the blood of our country,” and it was unclear whether his use of that rhetoric was planned or followed on the fly.
Trump is the front-runner for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination and has made border security a central theme of his campaign.
He promises to roll back tough policies from his 2017-2021 presidency and implement new policies that further restrict immigration.
The Democratic candidate, President Joe Biden, has sought to enact humane and orderly immigration policies, but has struggled with undocumented immigrants, seen as a blow to his re-election campaign.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly used inflammatory language to describe the border issue and vilify Biden’s policies. On Saturday he recited lyrics from a song he recreated to compare migrants to deadly snakes.
If re-elected, Trump pledged to “end the invasion of our southern border and begin the largest domestic deportation crackdown in American history.”
