Former President Donald Trump indicated in a campaign speech Wednesday in Waukesha, Wisconsin, that he intends to spare the United States from the kind of accelerated cultural degradation and jihadist takeover he believes have alternatively rendered Paris and London “unrecognizable.”
The Biden campaign apparently figured Trump’s remarks were beyond the pale or at the very least out of touch with popular sentiment and decided to share them on social media. It appears this was a grave strategic error.
Trump’s condemnation of radical Islam, failed cultural assimilation, and unchecked immigration from hostile lands appears to have found great resonance online, just as similar comments resonated with voters in 2016.
The speech
After highlighting the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border, Trump noted that the White House has reportedly been considering importing Palestinians.
“It should be no surprise that in addition to the millions and millions of people invading our country from the border, crooked Joe is now reportedly planning — and this is wonderful news for you people in Wisconsin — to bring massive numbers of Gazans from the Middle East,” said Trump. “Your towns and villages will now be accepting people from Gaza. Lots of people from Gaza and various other places. Yemen. Lots of other places.”
The Republican suggested that between the southern border and the proposed importation of more immigrants from hostile nations, the Biden administration was effectively setting the scene for an “October 7-style attack right here in America. It’s going to happen.”
“Under no circumstances should we bring thousands of refugees from Hamas-controlled terrorist epicenters like Gaza to America,” continued Trump. “We do not need a jihad in the United States of America. We do not need our once-great cities to become hotbeds of terrorism.”
Trump committed to restoring his travel ban, suspending refugee admissions, and “keeping terrorists the hell out of our country.”
The comments that evidently caught the eye of someone at the Biden campaign came next.
“I’m not sure if many of you here are big travelers or not, but we’ve seen what happened when Europe opened their doors to jihad. Look at Paris. Look at London. They’re no longer recognizable,” said Trump.
It’s unclear whether Trump was referring to the gargantuan anti-Israel rallies that swept both cities in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, the various Islamic terror attacks that have rocked both cities in recent years, or broader demographic trends. However, his remarks appear to echo his statements one month after the Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic terror attack in Paris that left 131 innocent people dead around the Bataclan theater.
He told MSNBC at the time, “We have to get our hands around a very serious problem. Look at what happened in Paris, the horrible carnage. … Paris is no longer the same city it was. They have sections in Paris that are radicalized where the police refuse to go there. They’re petrified. The police refuse to go in there. We have places in London and other places that are so radicalized that the police are afraid for their own lives. We have to be very smart and very vigilant.”
In 2018, Trump touched on the same theme, telling the Sun (U.K.), “I think allowing millions and millions of people to come into Europe is very, very sad. I think you are losing your culture. Look around. You go through certain areas that didn’t exist ten or 15 years ago.”
In his speech Wednesday, Trump added, “And I’m going to get myself into a lot of trouble with the folks in Paris and the folks in London, but you know what: that’s the fact. They are no longer recognizable and we can’t let that happen to our country.”
“We have incredible culture, tradition. Nothing wrong with their culture, their tradition. Can’t let that happen here and I’ll never let that happen to the United States of America,” said Trump.
Trump: Look at Paris. Look at London. They're no longer recognizable. I'm going to get myself into a lot of trouble, but you know what? That's the fact, they are no longer recognizable. We can't let that happen here pic.twitter.com/sRr6pdU2rb
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 1, 2024
The reception
When the Biden campaign shared an excerpt of former President Donald Trump’s campaign speech Wednesday to social media, the video received a largely positive response.
“They have their head buried so deep they don’t even realize this is a great clip,” wrote Matt Rinaldi, chairman of the Texas GOP.
Josie Glabach, who goes by the Red Headed Libertarian on X, wrote, “Beginning to think the Biden HQ account is on the Trump train lmao.”
Libby Emmons, the editor in chief at the Post Millennial, noted, “This is an amazing self-own by the Biden-Harris HQ. Trump loves America and our culture and believes it’s worth saving, Biden doesn’t.”
Wall Street Silver quipped, “Biden-Harris account is promoting Trump now.”
Michael Seifert, the founder of Amazon alternative PublicSquare, wrote, “Does the intern who runs this account realize that the American people are completely behind Trump on this? He’s 10000% right here.”
Even critics farther afield recognized it as a significant messaging blunder.
Australian news anchor and columnist Rita Panahi noted, “How dumb are these people to promote this video & believe it hurts Trump. Anyone who has been to Paris or London in recent years knows precisely what he’s talking about.”
