Trump’s midterm campaign has distilled his vile message

Across his midterm campaign appearances over the past month, President Donald Trump has leaned heavily on crude and demeaning language, according to Guardian columnist Sidney Blumenthal, who argues the rhetoric reveals the core of his politics: misogyny, racism and nativism with little left to dress them up. Blumenthal contends the escalation is starting to undermine itself, and that Trump's 2024 coalition of Latinos, young men and working-class swing voters has frayed, according to The Guardian.

Blumenthal cites a string of episodes. Trump insulted Democrats with expletives, called Norway a "shithouse country" over the Nobel peace prize, and told a Tennessee crowd on 11 October that he could say foolish things and still win applause. He also lied about the Iran war, floated renaming the strait of Hormuz after himself, and promised $5,000 to everyone if Republicans win.

The column also describes Trump's repeated, leering remarks about men's bodies, starting with comments on Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, and his mocking of female journalists. He gave Democratic Senate candidates Annie Andrews of South Carolina and Angie Nixon of Florida demeaning labels. Blumenthal counts Nixon as the ninth prominent Black official Trump has called "low IQ."

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