Dueling Harris and Trump Rallies in Atlanta Highlight America’s Deep Divides
Atlanta, Georgia – Four days apart, two rallies. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump led the events in the same arena, seeing masses of supporters as big as for a rock concert or a boxing match. The rallies took place three months before the Election Day. They displayed not just opposite visions of America but two entirely different ones due to the dissimilarities in policy, tone, audience, and even the music playlists.
Two Rallies, Two Different Worlds
Having different ideologies is fine, says Angela Engram, a staunch Democrat from Stockbridge, Georgia. However, the frustrated Engram adds that the recent discourse seems more about power and personalities than understanding and compassion, blaming Trump and his supporters for driving the divide.
On the other hand, Trump supporter Tracy Maddux, a retired grocer from Sparta, Georgia, puts the blame on the Democratic Party, accusing them of moving their focus away from the everyday American.
Interestingly, with Harris as the first-ever female, Black woman, and of South Asian descent to serve as vice president and Trump’s electrifying presence, both candidates drew huge crowds. Though Harris’ supporters were a mixed race and generation, the majority were Black females, moving to the rhythm of R&B, pop, and hip-hop. Meanwhile, Trump’s crowd was predominantly white, with smatterings of Black attendees, heavily favoring country music and tunes from the eclectic tastes of Trump himself.
A Tale of Two Campaigns
Looking at the dynamics of the rallies, it’s clear that Harris and Trump are attempting to appeal to very different audiences. Harris, whose campaign music is buoyed by songs like Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” talks about policy more than her biography. On the issue of inflation, she takes a stand against corporate greed.
On the flip side, Trump’s rally took a more critical stance against the current administration. Painting Harris as a radical threat, Trump warned that a Harris win would lead America into chaos and even World War III. Immigration was a big talking point at Trump’s rally as well, accusing Harris of being responsible for increasing the crime rate due to her immigration policy.
The Search for Common Ground
It’s a given fact that in every presidential race, there’s always a high level of difference and division. A quick look at past elections shows that the winner rarely garners more than 55% of the votes. In this case, Harris supporter Angela Engram is hopeful, arguing that there’s much more common ground if people took the time to see it. However, on the other side, many of Trump’s allies are adamant in their views, seeing the election as more of a spiritual battle than anything else.
The duels in campaign rhetoric capture the growing fracture in our country, the deep-seated divide between Harris and Trump supporters, and perhaps most significantly, the eroding shared reality that once underpinned American Democracy. As Election Day approaches, the great American divide widens, wondering who will bridge it.
