[Why Maggie Haberman isn’t surprised Trump connected NOLA attack to US border
CNN’s Pamela Brown: Maggie, the President-elect yesterday was asked about the car attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and he chose to take a rather surprising detour by talking about the US-Mexico border. He said that if we hadn’t had all the problems and difficulties at the border, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened. What’s your take on that?
Maggie Haberman: Well, Pamela, to be honest, I’m not surprised that Donald Trump made that connection. This is a guy who has a long history of talking about immigration, and the notion that there are certain groups or individuals who pose a threat to the country has been a major theme of his campaign.
It’s also consistent with his pattern of behavior in terms of making these kinds of connections between two seemingly unrelated events. He did it during the campaign, when he would say things like “Oh, we need to get tough on trade because of what’s happening with ISIS.” Or “We need to get tough on immigration because of what’s happening with ISIS.” So this isn’t really a new move for him.
I think what’s interesting, though, is that this isn’t just about making a logical connection between two events. It’s also about using this car attack to push a particular political agenda. The President-elect has a very specific view of how the country should be run, and he sees this as an opportunity to try to shape that narrative and drive home his key message.
Of course, it’s worth noting that this kind of approach can be polarizing, and it can alienate people who don’t necessarily agree with the President-elect’s views on immigration or national security. But it’s also clear that this is a guy who is very intentional about how he communicates, and he’s always trying to shape the narrative in his favor.
CNN’s Pamela Brown: Maggie, it’s fascinating to hear your take on this. Do you think that President-elect Trump is trying to drive a wedge between Americans, to pit one group against another, in order to further his agenda?
Maggie Haberman: I do think that there’s an element of that to it. This is a guy who has always been very effective at using messaging to drive home his key message, and often that involves playing on people’s fears or biases. He knows that if he can create this sense of an “us” versus “them” mentality, he can appeal to a particular segment of the population and rally them around his cause.
It’s not just about immigration, either. We’ve seen this with his talk about crime and law and order, or with his talk about terrorism and national security. The President-elect knows that if he can create this sense of threat or danger, he can capitalize on people’s fears and gain political advantage.
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