Trump's Rhetoric: A Timeline of Division and Violence

xser88 said:

Trump's Rhetoric: A Timeline of Division and Violence

From the start of his political career, Donald Trump has used violent and inflammatory rhetoric, inciting anger, division, and sometimes physical aggression.
Beginning with his 2015 campaign announcement, where he labeled Mexican immigrants as “rapists,” to his presidency marked by attacks on political opponents, the media, and Black Lives Matter, Trump’s words have often been provocative and dangerous.

This timeline underscores key moments of escalating discord, culminating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and ultimately influencing an assassination attempt in 2024, highlighting the enduring and dangerous influence of his rhetoric on the political landscape.

2015-2016: Presidential Campaign Rhetoric

• June 2015: During his campaign announcement, Trump labeled Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and criminals.
• August 2015: Suggested in a rally that a protester might deserve to be “roughed up.”
• November 2015: At a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, Trump said about a protester, “Maybe he should have been roughed up.”
• February 2016: Told supporters at a Las Vegas rally to “knock the crap out of” anyone planning to throw tomatoes, promising to pay their legal fees.
• March 2016: Encouraged supporters at a rally to “knock the hell” out of protesters, again promising to pay their legal fees.
• March 2016: In Iowa, Trump said he would pay legal fees for supporters if they got in trouble for removing protesters, adding, “I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell you.”
• March 2016: A supporter punched a protester at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Trump remarked that he might pay the legal fees for the supporter.
• August 2016: Suggested “Second Amendment people” could stop Hillary Clinton from appointing Supreme Court judges.
• October 2016: In Miami, Trump told supporters to “beat the crap” out of anyone they saw about to throw a tomato.2017-2021: Presidency

2017-2021: Presidency

• January 2017: Trump referred to the media as “the enemy of the people,” a phrase that he would repeatedly use throughout his presidency.
• August 2017: During a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump warned that he would “shut down” the government over border wall funding.
• June 2018: In response to criticism, Trump tweeted, “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. You push back on them. Tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”
• November 2018: Trump praised Rep. Greg Gianforte for body-slamming a reporter, saying, “Any guy that can do a body slam, he’s my kind of guy.”
• July 2019: Trump told four Democratic congresswomen of color to “go back” to their countries despite all being U.S. citizens.
• October 2019: Trump tweeted a warning that if he were impeached, it could lead to a “civil war-like fracture.”
• 2020: Election and Post-Election Rhetoric
• June 2020: In response to Black Lives Matter protests, Trump tweeted, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
• August 2020: Told supporters at a rally in North Carolina to vote twice to test the election system’s security.
• August 2020: Trump expressed sympathy for Kyle Rittenhouse, who was charged with killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, suggesting he might have been acting in self-defense.
• September 2020: Trump refused to say he would ensure a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election and suggested getting rid of ballots to avoid a transfer.
• October 2020: During the first presidential debate, Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” which was interpreted as a boost for the group.
• November 2020: After the election, Trump repeatedly claimed the election was stolen, inciting anger and distrust among his supporters.
• December 2020: In a call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump suggested Raffensperger could face criminal consequences if he didn’t “find” enough votes to overturn the election.

2021: January 6 Capitol Attack

• January 6, 2021: At a rally before the Capitol attack, Trump told supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol, leading to the violent insurrection. Despite the violence, he told the rioters, “We love you. You’re very special.”

Post-Presidency

• March 2021: Trump continued to promote false claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
• October 2021: Trump endorsed political candidates who supported the events of January 6 and perpetuated claims of election fraud.

2024: Assassination Attempt

• In July 2024, after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump raised his fist and shouted, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to a crowd of rally attendees and media.

MSN

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xser88 said:

Beginning with his 2015 campaign announcement, where he labeled Mexican immigrants as “rapists,”

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HTacianas said:

The very first item on your list is that Trump labelled Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. He did not such thing.

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JosephZ said:

Trump Defends Calling Mexican Immigrants 'Rapist'

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems...they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Asked why he used the term "rapists" to characterize Mexican immigrants, Trump pointed to recent reports that as many as 80 percent of the female immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are sexually assaulted during the trip.

CNN's Don Lemon then pointed out that those reports document immigrants being raped during their journey across the border - not the immigrants raping people after they get here.

Trump replied, "Well, somebody's doing the raping, Don. I mean, you know, somebody's doing it. Who's doing the raping? How can you say such a thing?"

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HTacianas said:

That is absolutely true. And it in no way implies that all Mexican immigrants are criminals.

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iluvatar5150 said:

It doesn't even imply - it outright claims that most of them are criminals.

Some of the other bullet points are pretty weak sauce, but anybody claiming that, in that case, he wasn't trying to disparage the vast majority of them as criminals is parsing English in a way that's blatantly disingenuous.

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Vambram said:

If a person immigrates into a nation illegally, that person is a lawbreaker. What else should a lawbreaker be called if not a criminal?

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iluvatar5150 said:

It's clear that what he was implying was not merely some skirting of administrative rules regarding immigration process.

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Vambram said:

Is that how the laws are now defined, merely some administrative rules?

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Vambram said:

If a person immigrates into a nation illegally, that person is a lawbreaker. What else should a lawbreaker be called if not a criminal?

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Pommer said:

It is a civil law being broken, not a criminal law.
If one doesn’t already know the difference, one might opt to refrain from further comments.

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Vambram said:

So, now you are suggesting that immigration and border laws are merely civil laws??? Hmmmm, I wonder if we should tell that to the Border Patrol agents?, and I wonder if we should tell that to the smugglers whom are making billions of dollars with the human trafficking which they are doing?

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Pommer said:

One should leave the goalposts where they are, adding “smuggling” and “human-trafficking” introduces topics not under consideration by your first assertion.

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Vambram said:

Considering the manner in which the immigration and border laws are consistently and constantly being violated, I am not moving the goalposts at all when smuggling and human trafficking is a major part of the discussion.

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Vambram said:

If a person immigrates into a nation illegally, that person is a lawbreaker. What else should a lawbreaker be called if not a criminal?

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Pommer said:

No that is what we’re discussing now, if you want to argue about that fine, but you don’t get to opine

and imply you meant human trafficking and drug smuggling at the same time, you’re not arguing in good faith, and I bid you adieu.

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Vambram said:

Have yourself a good night and a pleasant day as well. I know that I am debating in good faith.

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Pommer said:

You said “If a person immigrates into a nation illegally, that person is a lawbreaker. What else should a lawbreaker be called if not a criminal?”

I pointed out that the immigration law considers this a civil offense, not a criminal one.

Then you shifted the topic to “the smugglers whom are making billions of dollars with the human trafficking which they are doing?”

That’s classic “moving the goalpost”.

I am sorry that you’re unable to acknowledge that.

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Vambram said:

You are correct. I see now that I did use a classic "moving the goal post."

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Vambram said:

However, I still believe that it is against the law, and not merely a civil administrative law, to enter into the USA illegally.

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Vambram said:

I still believe that I am debating in good faith. The only reason that immigration law considers crossing into the USA illegally to be a civil offense is because, in my opinion, the manner in which the Biden administration has been currently interpreting immigration laws.

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