Blumenthal column: Trump's midterm rhetoric drips with contempt for his base
A Guardian opinion piece argues Trump's escalating vulgarity on the campaign trail exposes disdain for the Maga supporters he courts.
What to know
- A Guardian opinion column by Sidney Blumenthal argues Trump's midterm campaign speeches have become consistently vulgar and reveal contempt for his own supporters.
- Cited examples include calling Democrats "dumb sons of bitches," labeling Norway a "shithouse country" over the Nobel peace prize, and a donor pledge recited at a September fundraiser.
- The column frames this as evidence Trump's 2024 coalition — Latino voters, young men, and working-class swing voters — has fractured.
- Coverage consists mainly of the original op-ed and its syndication/sharing across Mastodon and Reddit, with no substantive public discussion recorded.
“Here is a theory that clearly implies that there are circumstances in which society will choose not to notice behavior that would be otherwise controlled, or disapproved, or even punished.”
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, quoted historical essayist · The Guardian (quoted in Blumenthal column) ↗
Donald Trump US president
Sidney Blumenthal Guardian columnist
JD Vance US vice-president
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Column circulates widely across social platforms
The Guardian op-ed was shared and re-posted across Mastodon and Reddit within hours of publication, with aggregator accounts amplifying the headline.
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Far from veering off his track, Trump in his ceaselessly vile midterm campaign statements has attained an optimal level of Trumpism. He has distilled the raw elements of misogyny, racism and nativism to the purified essence of his political philosophy. The Republican candidates and his vice-president have followed him down the trail of “defining…
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“He has distilled the raw elements of misogyny, racism and nativism to the purified essence of his political philosophy.” https://www. theguardian.com/commentisfree/ 2026/nov/03/trump-midterm-message-republicans
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Blumenthal argues Trump's vulgarity reveals disdain for his own voters
In a Guardian opinion column, Sidney Blumenthal writes that Trump's nearly constant profane and vulgar language in recent speeches, directed at Democrats and others, marks a 'purified essence' of Trumpism and signals the collapse of his 2024 coalition among Latino, young male and working-class voters.
“He has distilled the raw elements of misogyny, racism and nativism to the purified essence of his political philosophy.”
— Sidney Blumenthal -
background
Trump calls Norway a "shithouse country" over Nobel snub — After not receiving the Nobel peace prize, Trump disparaged Norway, a country he had previously held up as a model Nordic nation in contrast to what he called 'shithole countries' in Africa and Haiti.
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Trump tells Tennessee crowd they would applaud him regardless — Speaking to a Maga crowd in Tennessee, Trump openly acknowledged his supporters would cheer him no matter what he said, and the crowd applauded.
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Trump has donors recite a loyalty pledge at GOP fundraiser — At a Republican 'mini convention' charging a minimum $25,000 attendance fee ($89,000 for a photo with Trump), he had attendees raise their right hands and repeat a pledge of devotion to him, including a line about being willing to 'cheat like hell.'
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Guardian, 5d ago · also Guardian US
1 more headline
- Trump's midterm campaign has distilled his vile message The Guardian · 4d ago