Donald Trump paints a bleak picture of America

In a remarkably contentious debate between former President Donald J. Trump and incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump offered a grim picture of the United States, often based on false and disproven claims. Trump’s loud and aggressive rhetoric dominated the 90 minutes of the argument, distracting him from his main concerns and making him seem at times out of control. Instead of confronting the Vice President with the policy decisions of President Biden’s term, Trump flew into a rage and painted a picture of an America overrun by crime and dangerous, illegal immigrants. These immigrants, he falsely claimed, were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. “In Springfield, they eat the dogs,” he said. “The people who have arrived there are eating the cats. They are eating the pets of the people who live there.” Trump predicted a grim scenario for the United States, which he dated to the time he left office three and a half years ago. He warned of the threat of World War III and claimed that the nation has been in crisis since he left office. The debate became particularly heated on the subject of abortion. Trump claimed that some states with Democratic governors supported the execution of babies after birth, which is factually incorrect since no state allows infanticide. Since announcing his first presidential candidacy in June 2015, Trump has repeatedly used fear-mongering and demagoguery, especially on immigration. This strategy has always found a receptive audience, which brought him election victory in 2016, although he failed in 2020. At his first inauguration in 2017, he spoke of “American carnage” and remained true to his dramatic rhetoric in this debate.