The official social media account of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign recently posted a racist meme suggesting that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidency, suburban neighborhoods will be overrun with Black people and immigrants. The post included side-by-side images of a tranquil residential street under Trump and a photo of recent migrants outside a hotel under Harris. Despite the shift of Harris and the Democrats towards the right on border security and immigration, the Trump campaign has continued to double down on racial animus and anti-immigrant sentiment.
In a conversation with Elon Musk on social media platform X, Trump focused on vilifying immigrants by bringing up cases of alleged murders by undocumented migrants. He claimed that these individuals were criminals who made American criminals seem like nice people. Trump has made building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border a campaign priority once again and has promised mass deportations of all undocumented immigrants living in the country.
Reports have suggested that Trump is struggling to counter the growing enthusiasm for Harris, the Democratic nominee, since President Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t seek a second term. Trump has resorted to using racism as a go-to approach, echoing his past attempts to delegitimize Obama’s presidency by questioning his birthplace. Some of Trump’s advisers are planning to rerun the infamous “Willie Horton” playbook from 1988, which was used to attack Democrat Michael Dukakis during George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaign.
Despite warnings from GOP donors and Trump’s advisers to focus on attacking Harris’ policies instead of resorting to outright racism, Trump continues to question Harris’ heritage and policies. There is concern among conservatives that Trump’s blatant racism may drive voters away in the upcoming election. However, Trump seems unable to resist attacking Harris’s immigration policies, further demonstrating his campaign’s persistent racial biases and anti-immigrant stance.
The Trump campaign’s recent use of racist imagery and rhetoric is part of a larger strategy to appeal to his base by stoking fear and resentment towards immigrants and people of color. By portraying Harris as a threat to suburban neighborhoods and promoting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, Trump is attempting to rally his supporters around a platform of xenophobia and white supremacy. Despite criticisms from within the GOP and calls to focus on policy differences, Trump has chosen to lean into racially charged attacks in an effort to maintain his grip on power.
As the 2024 campaign heats up and tensions continue to rise, it is clear that Trump’s reliance on racism and anti-immigrant sentiment will remain a central theme. By doubling down on divisive language and fear-mongering tactics, Trump is appealing to a segment of the population that is motivated by prejudice and animosity towards marginalized communities. As the election approaches, it remains to be seen how effective this strategy will be in mobilizing voters and shaping the political landscape in the years to come.
