Trump’s increasingly dark rhetoric is shocking — even for him

With the midterm elections approaching, President Donald Trump has shifted his closing message toward warnings that American civilization is under threat, CNN reports, rather than defending his record on prices or the war with Iran. At rallies in Kansas, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, he has argued that a Republican hold on Washington is needed to preserve the country's religion, values and heritage.

CNN describes a pattern of racially and religiously charged attacks. Trump has called Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who was born in the United States, a jihadist and referred to him as Mohammed. In Kansas he mischaracterized remarks by Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton on race and faith, questioned whether Hamilton acts like a pastor, and used an antisemitic slur while defending Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. He also repeated unfounded claims that schools secretly transition children, and he belittled Rep. Ilhan Omar's claim to constitutional rights because of her Somali origins.

CNN notes that Trump has long relied on opponents as foils, that other politicians exaggerate too, and that Vice President JD Vance joked about a protester crossing the border illegally. It adds that assuming every Trump voter shares such prejudices would be unfair.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →