Donald Trump believes that Hillary Clinton is at the center of a global power structure that is conspiring to steal the presidency by peddling misinformation, distrust and lies. Lizard-like, she presides over a Goldman Sachs-funded political elite that rigs elections at breakfast before being choppered into the Bilderberg for a spot of lunch.Well, he didn't use those words exactly. But at a Florida rally, Trump said that the establishment—the Clinton campaign specifically—was the engineering force behind allegations that he had groped and kissed women without their consent. In comments reported by the Washington Post, he described the claims as the "the single greatest pile-on in history." It was a sporting metaphor appropriate for a man who clearly loves his locker room talk.
Advertisement
"The Clinton machine is at the center of this power structure," he said to the crowd. "Anyone who challenges their control is deemed a sexist, a racist, a xenophobe, and morally deformed. They will attack you, they will slander you, they will seek to destroy your career and your family… They will lie, lie, lie."It's ben a bruising week for Trump, as multiple women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the presidential hopeful. One claim came from former People magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of groping her during a visit to his house for an interview. Trump dismissed Stoynoff at a Cincinnati rally, saying, "Look at her, look at her words…I don't think so."
"He's clearly trying to deflect from his own failing campaign and get his excuses in before he loses," says Dr. Alfred Moore, a conspiracy theory expert at Cambridge University. "If he loses, it's because he was stabbed in the back by the Republican Party and betrayed by a corrupt establishment. And the Clintons are at the heart of this corrupt establishment."Moore highlights that Trump—a former birther—has appeared on Alex Jones' radio show. Jones is a well-known purveyor of conspiracy theories and a prominent Trump supporter who recently described Clinton as a sulphuric "demonic warmonger."
Advertisement
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
The challenge for Clinton is how to respond to Trump's outlandish claims without giving them legitimacy or credence. "When he makes these claims he undermines the very credibility of speech," Moore says. "How can you speak to someone who won't answer your argument, who just says, 'You are a tool of the establishment' whenever you criticize their behavior?'"While we might think we are living through extreme times, Trump's rhetoric actually fits within a wider American political tradition. Moore points me towards American historian Richard Hofstadter's 1964 essay, The Paranoid in American Politics. "You can place Trump within a long tradition of populist speech, which recurs in episodes throughout US history from the Founding Fathers onwards."Moore says that many of Trump's allegations could actually be seen as a reasonable part of political discourse. "Some of his claims are similar to what Bernie Sanders was saying about Clinton: Her closeness to Goldman Sachs, the emails. It's not a million miles away."
"It can be hard to draw a line," he adds, "because there are things people say in ordinary partisan rhetoric, like, 'This person is not how they seem, or is hiding special interests from you'—that could apply here. In this context you need to think about whether he's espousing extreme partisan rhetoric or is actively posing a danger to democracy."Moore, however, believes that Trump's newest comments plumb a new depth for the famously divisive candidate. By placing Clinton at the center of a global political elite, the Republican nominee undermines the legitimacy of the election result. This, Moore argues, is dangerous. "That's stepping over a line. He's urging people to go to the polls to intimidate voters. He's saying, don't respect the legitimacy of this result, it's not going to be real. It's a dangerous development."I ask whether dismissing Trump's allegations entirely might actually provide his supporters with more fodder. After all, negative headlines about the Republican nominee are often cited by his campaign as evidence of Clinton-backed liberal media bias."The attractiveness of conspiracy theories is that real conspiracies do happen," Moore says. "Like in the 1970s when we found out the Center for Disease Control had been running secret syphilis experiments on African-Americans. The important thing is that we recognize it's not impossible and these things are possible."That said, Trump is taking a reasonable and positive thing—scrutiny of public, private and political institutions—and turning it into a damaging, divisive force. "Suspicion and distrust are central to liberal democracies, but what Trump does actually breaks democracy down. Because it's not about holding the powerful to account; it's about making ludicrous allegations about global conspiracy theories masterminded by a Clinton establishment."
ORIGINAL REPORTING ON EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR INBOX.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.