Former President Donald Trump set off a wave of reactions when he suggested an eyebrow-raising solution to rampant crime in America’s cities.
The Republican presidential nominee’s speech at a rally Sunday in Pennsylvania included the idea of a “violent day” of police retaliation that many began to say echoed the plot of the horror movie series “The Purge.”
Trump spoke about the wave of brazen crimes being committed and how, in many liberal-run cities, criminals face little to no consequences, lamenting that police are not being “allowed to do their job” because Vice President Kamala Harris and “the liberal left won’t let them do it.”
Trump says his idea for stopping crime is to allow for “one really violent day”: “One rough hour, and I mean real rough…” pic.twitter.com/6XeVXL6R8b
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 29, 2024
“One rough hour — and I mean real rough — the word will get out and it will end immediately, you know? It will end immediately,” Trump said at the rally in Erie.
The Harris campaign posted a clip of Trump’s comments to X where users quickly began to melt down over fears the former president was suggesting a movie plot. The 2016 film “Purge: Election Year,” the third in the movie series, used Trump’s slogan, “Keep America Great” as its tagline.
Who let him watch the Purge
— Bill DeMayo (@BDeMayo) September 29, 2024
So he’s moved on from Silence of the Lambs to The Purge.
God help. How is this close? Make it make sense!!!— KatG (@TNBlueDot) September 29, 2024
So basically the purge. That’s great let’s get policy ideas from movies……
— shawn (@shawnoco1) September 29, 2024
While the movie references abounded on X, some users tried injecting sanity into the responses.
Democrats are fine with crime everywhere except in their front yards.
That’s why Dems send illegals to Republican towns but heaven forbid they go to Martha’s Vineyard.
You’re being intellectually dishonest to say you don’t get what Trump is saying here.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) September 29, 2024
It’s so simple and Democrats don’t get it.
Crime is bad.
So being tough on crime is good.
But Democrats refuse to be tough on crime.
I can’t believe I have to speak like a third grader so democrats can get this.
— Kurt Hasselhoff (@DiscoBatman77) September 30, 2024
We’re finally going to arrest thieves again!
— CuriOdysseus (@CuriOdysseus) September 30, 2024
A Trump campaign official said the former president was “clearly just floating it in jest.”
“President Trump has always been the law and order President and he continues to reiterate the importance of enforcing existing laws,” the campaign’s communications director Stevan Cheung said in a statement to Politico. “Otherwise it’s all-out anarchy, which is what Kamala Harris has created in some of these communities across America, especially during her time as [California] Attorney General when she emboldened criminals.
