OVERT: President Donald Trump continues to blame the Democratic party for the strife within the United States in a new fear mongering advertisement.
By Alex Flores, Staff Writer
On November 1st, President Donald Trump released an advertisement claiming that Democrats are directly responsible for the crimes of Luis Bracamontes, a Mexican citizen who killed two California sheriff deputies. Bracamontes had repeatedly entered the United States illegally and received a death sentence for his crimes. The video focuses on his brash behavior in court, stating that “Democrats let him into our country,” and that “Democrats let him stay.” After showing more disturbing clips of Bracamontes and other immigrants, the advertisement concludes with “President Donald J. Trump and Republicans are making America safe again!” The message could be considered convincing if one does not realize that one immigrant is not representative of all immigrants.
Bracamontes’ actions are enough to cause discomfort in anyone, as he is responsible for the murder of two hardworking community members and shows no remorse of having done so. “I wish I [expletive] killed more of those [expletive],” Bracamontes said with a smile. The meticulous order of displaying his behavior and that of other immigrants trying to break down a gate, followed by “Who else would Democrats let in?” causes viewers to draw an unjust connection between murderers and immigrants. Immigrants, legal or illegal, are not inherently dangerous people. The message that immigrants are a threat to American society is the real detriment here.
Critics compare the advertisement to a commercial that former president George H.W. Bush issued during the 1988 campaign. The focus was on William Horton, a convicted murderer who fled custody after being released as part of a weekend furlough program supported by Bush’s Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis. Horton raped a white woman and stabbed her white fiancee while out of prison. This commercial exploited racial anxieties for political gain, and Trump’s advertisement is no better. “The institution is, if you elect Governor Dukakis as president, we’re going to have black rapists running amok in the country. It’s playing to white fears about black crime,” political-science professor at the University of California, Irvine, Claire Jean Kim stated. This time the institution is, if you vote Democratic, we’re going to have Mexican immigrant murderers running amok in the country — any race of immigrant for that matter because they are all supposedly “horrible”. Since the video, Trump has sent troops to the United States-Mexico border to confront the caravan of migrants from Central America. It’s not like the colonists wanted a prosperous life either.
The advertisement conveys shameless hate and as disappointing as it is, it is nothing new. Trump made clear his negative view of immigrants since his presidential campaign began and this is simply a desperate move to sway public opinion, as pollsters have predicted that the Democrats will gain a majority in the House of Representatives this midterm election. Hopefully, people do not give in to pathetic political schemes and vote to send their own message.