When it comes to the United States and places within it, most presidential candidates stick to positives and platitudes. That doesn't apply to Donald J. Trump in this election cycle.
Map of the United States with a quote that reads: “We are like a garbage can to the rest of the world.”
He is quick to denigrate American cities, often those with large immigrant populations. He does this both individually and collectively, sometimes in crude terms.
The same card now contains a quote that reads: “the cities are rotting and they are indeed cesspools of blood.”
This includes liberal strongholds like Chicago, Washington, DC, and Atlanta…
A quote on DC reads: “rat-infested, graffiti-infested shithole.” A quote with the geolocation on Atlanta reads 'killing field'. A quote with the geographic location of Chicago reads “worse than Afghanistan.”
…as well as San Francisco and Portland.
A quote with the geographic location of San Francisco reads “destroyed.” A quote geolocated to Portland reads, “a burned-out hulk of a city.”
Since running for office, he has spoken out in harshly negative terms about many American cities. He placed several California cities on a list of “war zones and ganglands.”
The map shows four California cities that Mr. Trump has called “war zones.” The cities are San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Cities in the Northeast, the Midwest and the South have also fallen victim to his insults.
The map then zooms back to the eastern part of the country and highlights citations for New Orleans (“war zones”); Atlanta (“killing field”); Washington, DC (“hell hole); New York (“dirty”); Detroit (“decimated”); Baltimore (“dangerous”); Chicago (“war zones”); and Minneapolis (“like a hearth”).
These statements are in stark contrast to the way Trump tends to talk about places that support him — especially the red states that make up his base. Sometimes he lumps them together. In one instance, he collectively referred to “places like Indiana, Iowa and Idaho.”
The same map labels Idaho, Iowa and Indiana with the quote: “Explains that you don't even hear too much about them because they are so good and so well managed.”
He has also vividly praised Montana and Alaska.
A geolocated quote on Montana reads: “land of cowboys and cattle hands… one of the most beautiful places in all of God's creation.” A quote with a geographical location on Alaska reads: “an incredible place and a beautiful state.”
Here's a sampling of the places he's called “beautiful,” “great,” or “good,” or that he loves.
The map shows 30 places in the United States that Trump has called “beautiful,” “incredible,” or “amazing,” or says he loves.
Perhaps most unusual is Mr. Trump's tendency to combine these two points, pointing to places he believes were once beautiful but are now in decline. If his campaign rests on his vow to Make America Great Again, he seems to think he still has a lot of work to do – in 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, big trouble.” One quote, geolocated to Montana, reads: “land of cowboys and cattle hands… one of the most beautiful places in all of God's creation.”
…and bigger ones like Detroit and New York City.
A quote with the geographical location of Detroit reads: 'once a great city'. A quote with the geographical location of New York City reads: 'city in decline'.
That rhetorical move animates Trump's approach to the entire country he hopes to lead again. He presents himself as the sole savior of the nation…
A quote on the map of the United States reads: “Our once great country, will soon be greater than ever before.”
…and makes the alternative terrible.
A quote on the map of the United States reads: “Your country is being turned into a third world hellhole, ruled by censors, perverts, criminals and thugs.”
