Donald Trump's final full week on the campaign trail was marked by a torrent of racist and misogynistic rhetoric, as well as unprecedented threats of violence against political opponents. The former president's increasingly vitriolic rants have led Democratic rival Kamala Harris to describe him as 'unstable and unhinged'.
The controversy began on Sunday at a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a racist joke about Puerto Rico being a 'floating island of garbage'. The backlash was immediate, with Republicans and Democrats alike condemning the remark. Trump did not apologise, instead insisting that 'nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do' and calling the event 'a love fest'.
The incident gave rise to a bizarre stunt in which Trump, dressed as a sanitation worker, drove a garbage truck around a Wisconsin parking lot, claiming he would be 'taking out the trash' on election day. This came after President Joe Biden's comment about 'garbage' was misconstrued by the Trump campaign as an attack on his supporters.
Trump also escalated his threats against those he calls 'the enemy from within', naming leading Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, and promising to unleash the military against them. In a separate interview, he made misogynistic comments about 'protecting' women, despite facing multiple allegations of sexual assault. History will record the waning days of the 2024 presidential campaign as unlike any previous election, with one candidate leaning heavily into an agenda of hate and menace.
