The Bitter Consequences of the Debate for Trump and the People of Springfield
The debate between the two U.S. presidential election rivals became the most historic debate in the country’s history, albeit in the worst possible way. During the debate, Trump jeopardized everything about his campaign by disrupting his discourse and thought process, and in front of the cameras, he fell into his rival’s trap, making repeated delusional claims. The debate moderators only intervened three times to correct and fact-check his claims, and even these three times led Trump and his supporters to accuse them of siding with Harris.
Trump’s press conference in California on Friday, like his rallies following the debate, was accompanied by the repetition of his ugly claims. The claim about immigrants stealing people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, started with a meaningless post on social media and was fueled by J.D. Vance, Trump’s chosen deputy, and Elon Musk on social media. However, the real story lies elsewhere. The moment Trump’s plane landed in Philadelphia to head to the debate venue, a particular figure disembarked alongside him: Laura Loomer, an extreme racist who takes pride in Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments, appears to be a new inseparable member of Trump’s circle.
It was Laura Loomer who talked so much about the fake Springfield story to Trump that he unconsciously brought it up in the debate to insult immigrants. The warnings after the debate from Trump’s supporters about Loomer were noteworthy. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, an extremist and anti-Semitic Trump supporter, opposed her. Loomer has long been considered a significant threat to Trump’s campaign due to her offensive remarks about immigrants and various political figures, and her astonishing racial insults towards Harris. Nevertheless, Trump took Loomer with him to the 9/11 anniversary commemoration and defended her at the press conference.
The consequences of the debate have been extremely severe for Trump.
He resisted participating in the second debate with Harris for several days and in his latest remarks stated that he would consider it if he felt like it. Contrary to Trump’s claim, no credible poll indicated his superiority in the debate.
The candid criticisms from Republican experts of his behavior in the debate also worsened the situation, and Trump openly attacked some Fox News moderators in this regard. In any case, five credible polls conducted after the debate showed Harris in a superior position against Trump. Specifically, credible Ipsos and Morning Consult polls indicated an increase in Harris’s lead.
In this situation, and while Trump has worried even his supporters with bizarre promises of new tax cuts, he should more than anything be concerned about Laura Loomer. This woman has overshadowed everything about his campaign. The people of Springfield must also deal with the consequences of Trump’s lies about immigrants in their city. Threats against immigrants have escalated to threats against public officials and open threats of bombing schools.
The pleas from city and state officials for people not to believe Trump’s lies have not had much effect.
On Saturday, the extent of threats from Trump supporters against immigrants, officials, and public offices reached the point of bomb threats at a hospital in Springfield. Interestingly, Haitian immigrants who have come to Ohio were actually attracted to the area through official advertisements and workforce demands and are part of the life and economy of the region. By Wednesday, a wave of new threats and dangers had arisen for regional officials, schools, and medical centers, with dozens of new bomb threats being made.
None of these threats could convince Trump and his deputy to stop spreading lies on this matter.
It reached a point where J.D. Vance, Trump’s deputy, explicitly stated in his interview with CNN that they have no qualms about fabricating stories in pursuit of what he describes as the threat of immigrants.
The pleas from regional officials and the governor of Ohio, along with their appreciation and defense of Haitian immigrants who are completely legal in the U.S., have had no effect.