Political Tribune

2024, Donald Trump, Immigration, Opinion, Racism

Trump Unleashes His Divisive Rhetoric On A New Town

Donald Trump has picked another town for demonization of immigrants- this time, in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

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For the past week, bogus claims from Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and other Republicans about Haitian immigrants in the town of Springfield, Ohio, have led to countless threats against different institutions in that town.

Now, Trump has moved to expand that controversial strategy elsewhere- this time, in a swing state.

At a recent rally in Arizona, Trump spoke of a Haitian immigrant community in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, which is located in the Western part of the state.

Per The New Republic, the former president stated that the town had “experienced a 2,000 percent increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris.”

“So Pennsylvania, remember this when you have to go to vote,” Trump said.

Among others who sought to push Charleroi into the news was the notorious X account LibsofTikTok, who posted a video this week, purporting to reveal “an operation in Charleroi, PA where Haitians are being bussed to and from food factories operated by Fourth Street Foods.”

A correction on that came from a surprising place: A Republican elected official and self-proclaimed follower of the LibsofTikTok account.

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State Sen. Camera Bartolotta replied, and stated that LibsofTikTok’s interpretation wasn’t true. In fact, the Haitian immigrants there are “working hard,” and it is their employer who busses them to and from the facility.

“There was no workforce in Charleroi a few years ago when a business owner desperately needed them. He advertised and looked for workers for a long time,” the senator wrote. “Before shutting down completely, he hired an agency that connected immigrants who were vetted and LEGAL to work in his facility. Instead of closing, he now has three shifts working around the clock.”

It was admirable of her for doing, although it might be wise of her to stop following LibsofTikTok, and certainly to stop sharing her posts.

Misunderstandings about what’s going on with buses has been a continuing theme in the current presidential campaign. Some MAGA accounts have noticed the presence of buses at Kamala Harris’ rallies, assuming that the Harris campaign has no real popularity and must therefore “bus in” supporters from elsewhere.

In reality, those buses are sometimes shuttle buses from a parking lot to the rally location, for rallies in which not a lot of parking is available at the venue. Other times, buses are used as a security barrier. In both cases, the Trump campaign has used buses similarly for his own rallies.

Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery.

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Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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