Today marks the end of the 2024 general election season. Perhaps the winner of the presidential election will be known later today or in the days to come. However, one thing is sure: It is a relief to see this chaotic year of political campaigns end. From President Joe Biden dropping out of the race in July to the multiple assassination attempts against Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 general election has been unlike any other.
Historically, election season has been a time for civic debate about policies, ushering in new leaders and bringing a sense of hope to voters. At the same time, it is also true that running for office is intense and not for the faint of heart, with candidates engaging in hostile campaigning to achieve their goals and push their agendas. However, at the close of this election, it appears that running for the country’s highest office has become a blood sport.
The most recent example was Former President Trump’s Oct. 27, 2024 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Intended as a closing event to share his message for a final time before voters go to the polls, the rally devolved into a display of vulgarity, misogyny and racism.
Former President Trump’s drumbeat of offensive remarks about his political rival Vice President Kamala Harris was quickly overshadowed by the line-up of speakers who made crude remarks about Harris, calling her a “prostitute” and “the Antichrist.” The speakers also made racist comments about Latinos, Palestinians, Jews and Black people. Most notably, comedian podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe insultingly joked about Latino “sexual practices” and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Mr. Hinchcliffe later attempted to defend his comments with a post on X by saying, “I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set,” and Mr. Trump tried to distance himself from the comedian by claiming not to know him. The comments serve to underscore the ugly and dehumanizing tone of the recent campaign.
Crude language and racist rhetoric are not a new phenomenon for the Trump campaign. In
2015, Mr. Trump kicked off his first presidential bid by calling Mexican immigrants “criminals” and “rapists.” In addition, Mr. Trump has been recorded using curse words more than 1,787 times in 2024 — 69 percent more than he did when he ran for president in 2016. And while cursing isn’t disqualifying, presidents shouldn’t be crude. Having a president curse in meetings or public rallies isn’t professional and shows a lack of respect for the office.
The chaos in this election cycle isn’t confined to the Republicans as President Biden, the Democratic incumbent, dropped out mid-way through the race after a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate with Trump. The debate was essentially two older men lobbing insults at each other.
It was brutal to watch and confirms that President Biden’s mental acuity is declining. The display prompted high-profile Democrats, including actor George Clooney and allegedly, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, to publicly and privately call for him to stand down — an unprecedented action in the nation’s political history.
President Biden should never have run for a second term, as he had promised to serve as a “transitional” leader. As a result, Democrats missed the opportunity to select from a slate of candidates earlier in the primaries. Then there is the Democratic Party’s apocalyptic messaging about Trump’s threat to the nation’s democracy when they should’ve been campaigning more on issues of higher importance to average Americans, like the economy and inflation.
The continuing and monotonous decline of political decorum, dominated by old men, is unfair to Generation Z (Gen Z), who have grown up in a political age in an era characterized by an angry, confrontational and bullying style of politicking. Trump’s form of politics is all Gen Z has ever known, as he has been running for president since many members of Gen Z were in elementary school. With young people needing to carry the burden of climate change, gun violence, unaffordable housing and reproductive rights, it’s exhausting to add uncivil political discourse to this list.
Still, Trump’s nasty, anger-filled campaign style is likely here to stay. Hopefully, young people will experience a future presidential campaign focused on pressing issues they care about and led by a new generation of leaders.
