Reading and hearing the news about Donald Trump’s massive hate-filled rally in Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024, I was reminded of my time as American ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2009 – 2012. This was a period when relations between the U.S. and Zimbabwe were at a low and harsh words and invective were frequently hurled back and forth. When I arrived to take up m duties in 2009, I was determined to move the relationship to one of respect and effectiveness. I knew it would never be a love fest, but that we could at least lower the temperature and be more civil with each other.
It worked for a while until one day, about two years into my tour, the president of Zimbabwe, in a public speech—at a funeral of all places—launched into a profane diatribe against the U.S. for no apparent reason. I of course reacted, and for a few days, relations were in the toilet again. When the dust finally settled, I was in a conversation with an official close to the president who shared my desire that our relations be polite if not friendly and he said something that I think applies to the 2024 political campaign, especially the campaign being currently conducted by Donald Trump.
“What you have to understand,” the official said. “Is that our politicians when they give public speeches are talking to a specific target audience. If you’re not part of that audience, you’re not supposed to hear what’s said.”
“But, if you’re right there, you can’t help but hear,” I responded.
He looked confused and said, “But if you’re not the intended recipient of the message, you should just ignore it.”
We never settled that problem, because he never seemed to understand that whoever hears your message, intended audience or not, is likely to react to it.
Republicans these days, especially the MAGA crowd, seem to be of that same mindset. At their rallies, they are talking to their like-minded fellow travelers, and no one else is supposed to hear. Take the untalented hate comedian who viciously slammed Puerto Ricans in his speech. The MAGA crowd ate it up, and even though Trump is trying to win support from demographics like Puerto Ricans, the attitude seemed to be, this message, even though about them, was not intended for them, so they should just ignore it. The same can be said of Blacks, women, immigrants, and anyone else who is eligible to vote. Trump wants your vote even though he has insulted and vilified you. He did it for his core base, though, so you should just ignore that message and just pay attention to what he says when he’s talking to you.
Amazing how similar autocratic, self-absorbed dictators are—regardless of their culture.