This article explores the reasons behind Donald Trump's frequent use of personal attacks and vitriol against his political opponents. It examines how the media backlash, public desensitization, and comparison to Trump's other actions contribute to his ability to get away with this behavior. The article also analyzes the broader context of US politics, where party identity is deeply ingrained in individual identity, leading to greater polarization.
There's been a fair share of personal attacks and vitriol between US Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as the US election nears. Many have become immune to vitriolic remarks in US politics, particularly from Mr Trump, but why is this behaviour more common in US politics compared to Australia?“But we're bringing them in at levels we've never seen. And we're doing it by stupid people. Like she's a stupid person. Stupid person.
Associate Professor David Smith from the University of Sydney's United States' Studies Centre explains. He says this is due to how intrinsic party identity is to an individual's overall identity, fostering a deep polarisation in the United States. But Professor Smith says for Mr Trump, hostile behaviour is adopted as a direct political strategy and brand that works in his favour.
“The Australian political system probably encourages better behaviour from MPs through a few different ways because we have compulsory voting which requires every citizen to turn out. The effect is that elections are won and lost by the ability to appeal to all voters that distinguishes Australia from other countries, including the states where it can be enough to turn off someone who was going to vote for your opponent and convince them to not vote at all.
“Trump's rallies - He just says whatever he feels like and he really feeds off the energy of the audience. The audience loves these personal insults. He even said at a rally a few weeks ago that his advisors were telling him to talk more about policy rather than personal attacks. And he said to the crowd, well, what would you prefer to hear? And they made it very clear that they wanted to hear personal attacks. And he said, oh, well, I better fire my advisors then.
US Election Donald Trump Kamala Harris Political Attacks Polarization
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