Translating Trump’s talking points as he ratchets up rhetoric on campaign trail – NPR
Former President Donald Trump has long made headlines with controversial comments about everything from immigration to trade, but translating those talking points isn't always easy. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption
Former President Donald Trump has long made headlines with controversial comments about everything from immigration to trade, but translating those talking points isn't always easy.
Former President Donald Trump has a history of using provocative language to draw headlines, stir up support and attack enemies.
His words, at times, have been his greatest weapons but also his biggest vulnerability.
In recent weeks, he has described Nov. 5, Election Day, as "liberation day" for "hardworking Americans" and "judgment day" for his political enemies. He has called undocumented immigrants who commit crimes "not people" and has claimed Jews who vote for Democrats hate Israel.
It's not easy trying to make sense of what often appears to be indiscriminate attacks on migrants and political enemies, but Trump knows how to generate headlines, excite his base and provoke the left simultaneously.
He has described political correctness as a cancer that prevents honest discussion. He says that people are too easily offended and that the country doesn't have time to worry so much about others' feelings.
His language is also a political weapon and a very effective one to use against his enemies. It's a tool that stokes his base and baits one of his favorite foils, the media.
NPR examined Trump's campaign speeches, interviews and social media posts since he held his first rally last year in March, as well as additional relevant comments in recent years, to provide context to how his language reflects his political agenda. Here are a few of his most common talking points:
Nowhere has the former president pushed the boundaries of appropriate language more than on the issue of immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.
He has described migrants as poisoning the blood of the country and calling those who commit crimes "animals."
This demonization of migrants is not new. It has been a pillar of his political career ever since he announced his presidential campaign in 2015 and called Mexican immigrants rapists, bringing drugs and crime, while also saying that some are "good people."
The border has now become one of the fieriest political issues ahead of the November elections as both sides, Democrats and Republicans, have been pointing fingers at the other to cast blame for a myriad of problems.
It's a clear vulnerability for President Biden and the Democrats.
Biden has struggled with historic numbers of people coming across the border. It's not just Republicans who are concerned. An increasing number of Democratic mayors and governors have raised real concerns about the drain of state and local resources in cities hundreds of miles from the border.
In a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, only 29% of respondents said they approve of how Biden is handling immigration. Republicans win the issue over Democrats by 12 percentage points when asked which party handles it better.
Critics say Trump is capitalizing on those concerns by playing up anti-immigrant sentiments.
While there is little evidence that undocumented immigrants commit more crimes than U.S.-born citizens, Trump and his supporters use anecdotal stories, such as the killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, to paint an ominous picture about America being overrun by violent migrants.
During speeches in Michigan and Wisconsin, Trump accused Biden of creating a "border bloodbath."
"This is country-changing, it's country-threatening, and it's country-wrecking," Trump said in Michigan. "They have wrecked our country."
"They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America. Not just the three or four countries that we think about. But all over the world they're coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world. They're pouring into our country." Dec. 16, 2023, New Hampshire rally
"They're rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums. You know, insane asylums that's Silence of the Lambs stuff." March 4, 2024, interview with Right Side Broadcasting Network
"Hannibal Lecter, anybody know Hannibal Lecter? We don't want 'em in this country." March 4, 2024, interview with Right Side Broadcasting Network
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, salutes at a campaign rally on March 16 in Vandalia, Ohio. Jeff Dean/AP hide caption
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, salutes at a campaign rally on March 16 in Vandalia, Ohio.
Trump has been accused of using autocratic language in this campaign that echoes rhetoric of strongman leaders of the past.
Rather than rejecting those comparisons, Trump has been wielding them as a means to stoke his base, stir up media attention and, in some ways, win back former supporters.
One example is when he sparked the anger and indignation of his many critics after declaring he wouldn't be a dictator, "except for Day 1," said Chris Stirewalt, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
He says you could see a flash in Trump's eyes when Fox News host Sean Hannity provided Trump an opportunity to assure voters he wouldn't abuse his power.
"He realizes he's got a live one on the line, right?" explained Stirewalt, who is also the political editor for NewsNation. "He has the moment where he knows that the person who he's talking to wants him to say the right thing. And he knows that the advantage comes in saying the wrong thing."
Trump responded "only on Day 1," so that he could close the border and start drilling.
"After that, I'm not a dictator, OK?" Trump quipped to Hannity as the crowd in Iowa applauded.
Those fiery remarks set off a chain reaction of events and coverage. The media dissected the language, often repeating the dictator-for-a-day comments, and Trump's supporters came out in mass, largely on conservative outlets, attacking the media for, they argued, taking the comments out of context.
Stirewalt says Trump also triggered what he called "the anti-anti-Trump immune response," which means Trump reengaged former supporters, who may have felt he went too far on Jan. 6, 2021, and/or objected to his authoritarian tendencies, to come to his defense.
"What you get is the volleying back and forth between platoons on the left and the right," Stirewalt said. "Some of it's sincere some of it's rage, content for clicks and attention. And by the time you're done, you have strength. Trump has managed to both inflame and distract his opponents, but also to further consolidate Republican support."
"This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!" Sept. 22, 2023, Truth Social, referring to Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
"Your victory will be our ultimate vindication, your liberty will be our ultimate reward, and the unprecedented success of the United States of America will be my ultimate and absolute revenge." Feb. 24, 2024, Trump's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference
"We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those guys if I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a blood bath for the whole that's gonna be the least of it. It's going to be a blood bath for the country. That'll be the least of it." March 16, 2024, Dayton, Ohio
During a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump described himself as a "proud political dissident" and promised "judgment day" for political opponents.
He has vowed to "root out" political opponents whom he has described as "vermin," echoing the language of authoritarian leaders who rose to power in Germany and Italy in the 1930s.
"The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within," Trump said during a Veterans Day rally in New Hampshire.
The former president faces four different criminal trials related to allegations of interference in the 2020 election, fraud stemming from a hush money payment to an adult film star and mishandling of classified documents.
He has repeatedly claimed the prosecutions are a political witch hunt, and he has cast himself as a martyr who is being targeted by Democrats.
George Lakoff, a professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, says Trump often uses salesman tricks to frame a debate on his own terms. He knows how to use repetition to strengthen association.
He repeats phrases over and over on the campaign trail and on social media, such as fake news or that he's going to obliterate "the deep state." Those descriptions, right or wrong, are then repeated by others, such as the media in its coverage. They're repeated again as opponents attack him over the use of such words.
"There is a neural reason for this," Lakoff said. "The main thing is, if it's in your brain and it's activating the neural system, whatever is activating your neural system, then your brain makes it stronger."
Trump has sought to employ the prosecutions against him to justify his own calls to overhaul the "deep state," including those longtime federal lawyers who make up the Justice Department, as well as other federal agencies that he argues are politically biased against him.
He and his allies have begun to draft plans to overhaul the Justice Department as well as expand his presidential powers by ending protections for tens of thousands of federal employees so that they can be replaced with partisan loyalists.
"We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections." Nov. 11, 2023, New Hampshire
"The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within." Nov. 11, 2023, New Hampshire
"In 2016, I declared I am your voice. Today, I add, I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution." March 25, 2023, Waco, Texas
"Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state." March 25, 2023, Waco, Texas
During a winter campaign rally, Trump said he told a NATO leader that he would encourage Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to countries that were "delinquent" and had not paid bills they "owed" the NATO alliance.
His remarks set off a firestorm domestically and internationally, as Congress remains locked in a stalemate over whether to provide Ukraine with additional military assistance so that it can defend itself from the invasion by Russia.
As president, Trump sought to largely pull the United States out of foreign conflicts. But that hasn't stopped him from making bold claims about the current armed conflicts raging in Europe and the Middle East.
He has repeatedly insisted that those conflicts are related to Biden's election.
"Look what happened to our country," Trump said at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "You have wars that never would have taken place. Russia would have never attacked Ukraine. Israel would have never been attacked. You wouldn't have had inflation."
If elected in November, Trump has vowed that both conflicts would be resolved fast. He has said he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours but has provided no details.
"There's a very easy negotiation to take place. But I don't want to tell you what it is because then I can't use that negotiation it'll never work," Trump told Fox's Hannity last year. "But it's a very easy negotiation to take place. I will have it solved within one day, a peace between them."
Stirewalt says the secret to Trump talking about foreign policy is making it sound so easy and simple even the most incredibly complex problems of the day and people believe him.
"The authoritarian tendency in politics, not just in the United States but anywhere, is to say that there is a simple and easy answer," Stirewalt said. "But the bad people will not let you obtain it because they're weak or they're corrupt."
Meanwhile, Trump has pressured lawmakers on Capitol Hill to oppose billions of dollars in additional aid for Ukraine. He has also seemed to go out of his way to avoid criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump's approach to the war in Gaza has been a little more nuanced.
Then-President Donald Trump talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a ceremony in 2017 in Jerusalem. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
Then-President Donald Trump talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a ceremony in 2017 in Jerusalem.
While they worked closely together during his administration, Trump was angry when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden after winning the 2020 presidential election.
He at first criticized Netanyahu for being unprepared for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people, and he complimented the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah when it stepped up attacks against Israel.
While he has since pledged strong support for Israel, Trump has also called on Netanyahu to end the war and has warned that Israel was losing the PR war.
"What I said very plainly is get it over with, and let's get back to peace and stop killing people," Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show. "And that's a very simple statement. Get it over with. They've got to finish what they finish. They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast, because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace."
Time magazine: You think you could work better with [Israeli politician] Benny Gantz than [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu in a second term?
Trump: I think Benny Gantz is good, but I'm not prepared to say that. I haven't spoken to him about it. But you have some very good people that I've gotten to know in Israel that could do a good job.
Time: Do you think
Trump: And I will say this: Bibi Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized for what took place on October 7.
Interview with Time magazine, published April 30, 2024
"You didn't pay? You're delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills." Feb. 10, 2024, rally in Conway, South Carolina
"You know, Hezbollah is very smart. They're all very smart." Oct. 11, 2023, speech in West Palm Beach, Florida
"Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves." interview with former Trump administration senior adviser Sebastian Gorka on March 18, 2023
Anti-abortion activists march outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2022. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption
Anti-abortion activists march outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2022.
Trump's abortion stances are all about politics. He has repeatedly changed his positions over the years in 2016, he told MSNBC's Chris Matthews during a town hall that if abortion were outlawed, "there has to be some form of punishment" for women seeking abortions. He later retracted that statement.
As president, he supported a 20-week federal abortion ban, pushing the Senate to pass it. He also repeatedly took credit for the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. But by the time of the 2024 presidential campaign when Roe was overturned, meaning a federal ban would be possible his position on a federal ban was unclear.
Notably, he went the entire Republican primary without clarifying his stance on abortion, instead saying he would bring together both sides abortion-rights supporters and abortion-rights opponents and negotiate a compromise policy.
When he has spoken about abortion policy during this year's campaign, he has often stressed one point in particular: that he wants to win.
He said exactly that again when he made an abortion policy announcement on April 8. In that announcement, he said that he wants states to make their own policies and that he supports exceptions to protect a mother's life, as well as for pregnancies caused by incest or rape. He later added, "But we must win. We have to win."
Trump is attempting to walk a careful line on abortion. On the one hand, he wants to maintain the favor of the abortion-rights opponents who have long been the Republican base. But on the other hand, he understands that most Americans are not abortion hard-liners and that tight restrictions have proved unpopular in several statewide elections.
In addition, he has not taken a position on sweeping abortion restrictions proposed in Project 2025 a road map for a conservative presidency written by a coalition of right-wing groups. Those restrictions include curtailing access to abortion pills, as well as using the Comstock Act a 19th-century law intended to stop indecency to prohibit the mailing of any goods used in abortions.
Time magazine: Are you comfortable if states decide to punish women who access abortions after the procedure is banned?
Trump: Are you talking about number of weeks?
Time: Yeah. Let's say there's a 15-week ban
Trump: Again, that's going to be I don't have to be comfortable or uncomfortable. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.
Interview with Time magazine, published April 30, 2024
"The states will determine [their abortion policies] by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land in this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others. ... Always go by your heart. But we must win. We have to win." April 8, 2024, Truth Social
"The number of weeks, now, people are agreeing on 15, and I'm thinking in terms of that, and it'll come out to something that's very reasonable. But people are really, even hard-liners, are agreeing, seems to be 15 weeks, seems to be a number that people are agreeing at. But I'll make that announcement at the appropriate time." Sid & Friends in the Morning, WABC, March 19, 2024
Trump: People are starting to think of 15 weeks. That seems to be a number that people are talking about right now.
Kristen Welker: Would you sign that?
Trump: I would sit down with both sides and negotiate something, and we'll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. I'm not going to say I would or I wouldn't.
Trump: Both sides will come together. And for the first time in 52 years, you'll have an issue that we can put behind us at the federal level. It could be state or it could be federal. I don't frankly care.
Meet the Press, NBC, Sept. 16, 2023
"I support the three exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. And I think it's very hard politically if you don't support, but you have to go with your heart. You have to go with what you believe, and you have to rely on your heart for that." speech to the Concerned Women for America, Sept. 15, 2023
"After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the 'shock' of everyone." May 17, 2023, Truth Social
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Translating Trump's talking points as he ratchets up rhetoric on campaign trail - NPR