'Alternative facts': Analysis details the 'most egregious example' of GOP lies
Despite facing three criminal indictments, Donald Trump campaigned on a law-and-order message during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Now, with President Joe Biden having dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, Trump may be up against a candidate with a long resumé as a prosecutor — first as San Francisco district attorney, then as California state attorney general.
Never Trump conservative David French examines Trump's law-and-order promises in a scathing New York Times column published on July 21 — emphasizing that he promises "peace and stability" despite a history of causing "violence" and "chaos."
"If past performance is any indicator of future results," French warns, "Americans should brace themselves for more chaos if Trump wins. The most egregious example of Republican deception centered around crime. The theme of the second night of the convention was 'Make America Safe Again.' Yet the public mustn't forget that the murder rate skyrocketed under Trump."
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French continues, "According to the Pew Research Center, 'The year-over-year increase in the U.S. murder rate in 2020 was the largest since at least 1905 — and possibly ever.' That's a human catastrophe, and it's one that occurred on Trump’s watch. Republicans want to erase 2020 from the American mind, but we judge presidents on how they handle crises."
The Never Trump conservative argues that it is "particularly rich for" Trump to campaign as "the candidate of order" even though the "crime rate rose during his presidency and is plunging during Joe Biden's."
French notes that Democrats have been the aggressive ones from a foreign policy standpoint, adding that "it's the Democrats who are facing down Russian aggression."
"Trump wants you to be a goldfish," French laments. "He wants you to empty your mind of the past so that he can fill it with his own 'alternative facts.' The Republican National Convention was one long exercise in creating memories of a Trump term that never existed."
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French adds, "The real Trump term was chaotic and dangerous from start to finish, and if Americans' memories don't improve soon, the voters who seek peace and stability will instead bring us violence and tears."
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