The choice? Unity or division

AS America nears the climax of its 2024 election, voters are confronted with a choice between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, a decision that goes far beyond policy.

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

This election feels fundamentally about the character of the individual in office. If rhetoric alone were the measure, Trump's homecoming rally in New York this week would likely conclude the case against his re-election.

His events have long served as theatrical expressions of his campaign, but the event in Madison Square Garden took on an especially hostile tone. Unfunny comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, a featured speaker, referred to Puerto Rico as "a floating island of garbage".

This divisive language wasn't isolated. Speakers continued to slander Harris and target minority groups, with the gathering resembling a rally of hate and exclusion.

For many Americans, such talk wasn't simply distasteful; it was dangerous. The rally evoked disturbing comparisons to authoritarian displays of the past.