A sociology expert who testified in Colorado explained how Trump uses language carefully to appeal to extremists while not losing moderates.
Not a new development
From the moment he launched his campaign, Trump has toyed with extremist and inflammatory language. His willingness to spark outrage and gain press coverage was one of the main factors in his victory in both the Republican primary and the 2016 presidential election.
Careful balance
However, it’s easy enough to say extreme things. Plenty of politicians have attempted to mimic Trump’s success, with varying results.
Keep the moderates
The key to Trump’s success is his careful maintenance of plausible deniability. He often qualifies or couches his extreme statements in order to not lose the support of moderates.
Enter the expert
That’s what Dr. Peter Simi explained in Colorado court. Simi is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Chapman University.
The court case
Simi took the stand in Colorado on the second day of a five-day hearing over whether Trump should be barred from the presidential race. The lawsuit is the first of many in various states that argue that Trump should be kept off the ballot because he incited an insurrection under the 14th Amendment.
From the beginning…
Simi went back to Trump’s presidential candidacy announcement speech, given in 2015. During that speech, Trump leveled various racist accusations against Mexican immigrants, calling them rapists and drug dealers before saying, “Some, I assume, are good people.”
More examples
Simi pointed to other examples of this rhetorical trick. For example, when white supremacists held a march in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said there were “very fine people” there.
Extremists hear what they want to hear
Of course, Trump also said he wasn’t referring to the Nazis at the march. But as Simi noted, various white supremacists, including infamous leaders like Richard Spencer and David Duke, thanked Trump for his “very fine people” comment.
Aimed at the extreme audience
Simi argued that extremists understand Trump’s caveats as necessary concessions to the powers that be. They focus on the inflammatory language.
The culmination
Simi argues that Trump used the same rhetorical trick on January 6, 2021. Trump’s talk of a “wild” protest against the 2020 election, which he baselessly accused of being fraudulent, was interpreted by his extreme supporters as a call to action.
Evidence
To further support this point, Simi played a video of notorious far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones reacting to Trump’s tweets about the election sent later in 2021. Jones called them “the most important call to action since Paul Revere’s ride” in the American Revolutionary War.
Alleged insurrection
On January 6, supporters of Trump, spurred on by what they saw as a call to action from their leader, stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers fled in fear for their lives while rioters called for Mike Pence to be hung.
Extremist involvement
Among the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were members of violent extremist groups. Both the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers had members involved.
The overall argument
Simi was testifying in favor of an argument proposing that Trump be banned from running for election. According to Section Three of the 14th Amendment, anyone who previously took an oath on the Constitution who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. should be barred from holding office. So far, Colorado and Maine barred Trump from the ballot.
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