When speaking in regards to the United States and places inside it, most presidential candidates stick with positive statements and platitudes. Not so for Donald J. Trump this election cycle.
Map of the United States with a quote that claims “We are like a garbage can to the rest of the world.”
He is quick to denigrate American cities, often those home to large immigrant populations. He does this each individually and collectively, sometimes in harsh terms.
The same map now shows a quote that reads: “The cities are rotting and they are indeed bloodsuckers.”
These include liberal strongholds like Chicago, Washington, DC and Atlanta…
A quote geolocated to DC reads “Rat infested, graffiti infested shithole.” A quote geolocated to Atlanta reads “Killing Field.” One quote geolocated over Chicago reads “worse than Afghanistan.”
… in addition to San Francisco and Portland.
A quote geolocated in San Francisco reads “destroyed.” One quote geolocated to Portland reads “a burned down ruins of a city.”
Since declaring his candidacy, he has made sharply negative comments about many American cities. He included several California cities on a listing of “war zones and ganglands.”
The map shows 4 cities in California that Mr. Trump has described as “war zones.” The cities are San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Cities within the Northeast, Midwest and South were also victims of his insults.
The map then zooms back to the eastern a part of the country and highlights citations for New Orleans (“War Zones”); Atlanta (“Killing Field”); Washington, DC (“Hellhole”); New York (“dirty”); Detroit (“decimated”); Baltimore (“dangerous”); Chicago (“War Zones”); and Minneapolis (“like a fire pit”).
These statements stand in stark contrast to the best way Mr. Trump tends to discuss places that support him — particularly the red states that form his base. Sometimes he summarizes them. In one instance, he referred collectively to “places like Indiana, Iowa and Idaho.”
On the identical map, Idaho, Iowa and Indiana are labeled with the quote: “States you don't even hear much about because they are so good and well run.”
He also lavished praise on Montana and Alaska.
A quote geolocated to Montana reads: “Land of cowboys and ranchers… one of the most beautiful places in all of God's creation.” A quote geolocated to Alaska reads: “An incredible place and a beautiful state.”
Here is a choice of places he describes as “beautiful,” “great,” or “good,” or that he says he loves.
The map highlights thirty places within the United States that Mr. Trump describes as “beautiful,” “incredible,” or “great,” or that he says he loves.
Perhaps most unusual is Mr. Trump's tendency to mix these two points, mentioning places that he says were once beautiful but are actually in decline. If his campaign relies on his promise to Make America Great Again, he seems to think he still has a variety of work to do – in each small towns like Aurora, Colorado and Springfield, Ohio…
A quote near Aurora and Springfield reads: “These were two beautiful, successful towns, idyllic. And they are in trouble, in big trouble.” A quote geolocated to Montana reads: “Land of cowboys and ranchers… one of the most beautiful places in all of God's creation.”
…and larger ones like Detroit and New York City.
A quote geolocated to Detroit reads “once great city.” A geolocated quote about New York City is “City in Decline.”
This rhetorical move invigorates Mr. Trump's approach to the entire country he hopes to lead again. He presents himself as the only savior of the nation…
A quote on the map of the United States reads: “Our once great country will soon be greater than ever.”
… and makes the alternative seem bleak.
A quote on the map of the United States reads: “Your country is being was a 3rd world hellhole ruled by censors, perverts, criminals and thugs.”
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