“I wouldn’t mind if someone shot journalists.” Simplifying (this is how the phrase is reported by hostile media), this is how he expressed himself Donald Trump in the very probably decisive one Pennsylvania during a very recent rally. And it’s not that this is the first time – for goodness sake, far from it – in which the tycoon uses decidedly strong, grim phrases, dealing with people or categories, attitudes.
In the 2016 campaign, he went so far as to state that if he had shot in a public street he would not have lost a vote (indeed, he was convinced that he would have gained some). Immediate and insistent, indicating their feral instincts and underlying anti-democracy, the apparently general ones (the New York Timesmuch quoted, would it represent America? In the often decisive ‘Flyover States’ would anyone read it? For goodness’ sake!) reactions, alarmed and alarming.
Examining with the necessary detachment, naturally taking into account the climate and precedents, what happened and the reactions, what can we say?
Above all and almost definitively, that is Trump That Harris, including their supporters, politicians and media, are behaving according to script.
Nothing new, that is.
Surprising.
The former tenant of Executive Mansion – as every politician seeking consensus must invariably do – expresses himself publicly using the strong words that he believes will be appreciated by his supporters (defined as deplorable by Hillary Clinton and rubbish from Joe Biden) which must galvanize.
Words, he thinks, also capable of convincing at least some of the undecided.
Meanwhile, he takes almost no account of the reactions of his rivals.
Almost, because on the other hand it can happen – and Trump knows perfectly well the smoking business – that quite a few voters who are currently less inclined to become convinced by reacting to criticisms deemed politically correct, liberal, radical chicelitist, expressed with snobbishness…
In the role play, Harris and the singer company, pointing out the reprobate as the true dictator in nuce as his saying invariably confirms, speak to their followers with an eye in turn turned to the undecided.
In view of theopening of polls (long awaited and in reality less important and less decisive from election to election, given the very strong increase in early and postal voting), the tone can only become harsher especially if the parties involved think they are playing it all out at the skin of their teeth.
A situation that we must hope does not occur to avoid in a country divided into two long moments of further exacerbated conflict.
Mauro della Porta Raffo, Honorary President of the Italy USA Foundation
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