President Trump has made the threat of Democratic rule the centerpiece of his closing argument for the midterm elections, warning voters that the left will unleash a wave of violent crime, illegal immigration, higher taxes and cultural upheaval if they win control of Congress.
With the Nov. 3 midterm elections fast approaching, Mr. Trump sharpened his attacks on Democrats.
“The choice is very simple in this election: You can vote for the radical left Democrat communists to loot your wealth, raise your taxes by $5 trillion, annihilate your borders, decimate Michigan jobs, factories, mutilate your children with transgender and give 25 million illegal aliens amnesty and the right to vote. Or you can defeat the Democrat communists and vote for more money in your pockets, bigger paychecks for your family, lower taxes, a booming Michigan economy and no amnesty for illegal immigrants,” Mr. Trump said at a recent rally in Port Huron, Michigan.
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From Florida to North Carolina and Montana, the president has delivered increasingly dire warnings about what awaits the country if Democrats return to power. During a rally Friday in Fort Myers, Florida, Mr. Trump told voters they need to elect Republicans to “defend your safety, your culture, your country and your freedom.”
He has pointed to violent riots engulfing France as a preview of America’s future if Democrats win the House and potentially the Senate on Nov. 3.
“When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumbocrats want to do to America,” he said at a rally in Park City, Kansas.
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While it is a return to the issues that helped propel Mr. Trump back into the White House two years ago, the rhetoric also reflects the difficult political landscape Republicans face as voters sour on his handling of the economy and the high cost of living.
Rather than making his closing argument about Americans’ financial well-being, Mr. Trump is asking voters to consider what they stand to lose if Democrats gain power and framing the election as a choice between Republican stability and Democratic chaos.
At recent rallies, Mr. Trump predicted a Democratic victory would spark a “1929-style economic depression,” while warning they would also impose radical gender policies on children and undermine Americans’ ability to defend themselves.
In North Carolina, Mr. Trump devoted much of his speech to criticizing former Gov. Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, for releasing thousands of inmates during the COVID-19 crisis.
The president highlighted crimes committed by some of those released and predicted that a Democratic-controlled House would embolden criminals and jeopardize public safety nationwide.
His warnings have extended beyond crime and immigration to taxes, gun ownership and the cultural battles that have animated his political movement.
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At one rally, he accused Democrats of wanting to “mutilate, cut your children,” adding, “Jimmy comes back home in three days as Janet, and they don’t even ask you.”
In Montana, he said Democratic gun-control policies could leave residents defenseless against dangerous wildlife.
“You know who would love that to happen? Some of the wild animals you have up here that like eating you,” he said.
The ominous rhetoric could turn the election into a referendum on what Democrats might do with power rather than what Republicans have accomplished while controlling Washington. Mr. Trump still touts his tax cuts and tariffs, but those issues often take a backseat to his warnings about Democrats.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said the president’s emphasis on crime, immigration and cultural controversies is an attempt to divert attention from an economic record that is a political liability.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found that just 31% of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy, while 68% disapprove.
“The base is pissed off and frustrated with Donald Trump, his party and his policies, so he turned to the one thing where he’s comfortable,” Mr. Seawright said. “He’s comfortable with extremism. He’s comfortable with right-wing extreme red meat rhetoric. He’s comfortable with racism.”
Mr. Trump returned to office two years ago amid widespread voter frustration with inflation and the rising cost of living. He promised to bring down prices, revive American manufacturing and deliver an economic boom.
But the war in Iran pushed gasoline prices higher, diesel fuel reached record highs and household expenses remain stubbornly elevated. Inflation rose 3.7% in September compared with a year earlier, well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
Republican strategist Jimmy Keady said the president should remind voters of the consequences of Democratic policies, particularly given the violence that rocked American cities in 2020.
“It’s a winning issue. Look what’s happening in France. We are watching what happens when political extremism spills into the streets and lawlessness takes over,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with reminding Americans what’s at stake.”
“Elections are about records, but they are also about consequences,” he added.
The riots in France have become a top example in Mr. Trump’s broader argument that liberal policies sow disorder.
Nationwide demonstrations over rising living costs, deteriorating school conditions and cuts to public services sparked rioting and looting, with at least 2,400 people arrested.
Mr. Trump has blamed the unrest on European leaders who allowed migrants unwilling to assimilate to overwhelm their societies, and he has warned that the United States faces a similar fate if Democrats dismantle his immigration restrictions.
“If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France,” he told supporters in Kansas.
The president described France as a once-great nation threatened by migrants, jihadists and communists hostile to Christianity and Western civilization.
Historian Craig Shirley said the last comparable example of a president making the consequences of electing the opposition party central to his midterm pitch came in 2002, when President George W. Bush campaigned on national security.
Roughly a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mr. Bush warned that Democrats were not sufficiently tough to protect Americans from another attack. The strategy paid off. Republicans gained eight seats in the House and two in the Senate, an unusual midterm success for the president’s party.
Mr. Shirley said Mr. Trump’s warnings are resonating with Republican candidates because they are echoing the message about the unrest in France.
At a rally with Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, Rep. Randy Fine warned that the French demonstrators were neither peaceful protesters nor students and said Florida could face similar unrest without strong Republican leadership.
Rep. Bill Self, Texas Republican, said on Fox News that the U.S. is “watching the future of America in France.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, likewise called the unrest “a chilling warning” about what could happen if the “radical left gets its way.”
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