Toppling statues will help Trump's 'cultural heritage' campaign narrative, Anthony Scaramucci warns

Imogen Braddick23 June 2020

Toppling statues and rioting in the United States will "play into the hands" of Donald Trump's "cultural heritage" campaign narrative, the former White House communications director has warned.

Anthony Scaramucci said continuing to tear down statues will provide Mr Trump with a campaign narrative ahead of the November presidential election, warning of a "cultural war".

It comes after protesters tried to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House on Monday before being dispersed by police. Mr Trump said that “numerous people” had been arrested for “the disgraceful vandalism”.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Mr Scaramucci said: "If they continue to tear down statues in the United States, and they continue to riot, that will play into the president's hands.

"As he's searching for a campaign narrative right now, that narrative will be, 'well people are trying to take away your cultural heritage', and he'll pit that up against each other in a big cultural war."

During the debate about whether Mr Trump can survive another term, Mr Scaramucci said: "I would never rule President Trump out.

"This is going to be a fight to the finish, and one of the prize fighters has got to get knocked out of the ring for the other one to be successful."

Republican and Trump supporter Betsy McCaughey said Mr Trump had a "very good shot" at being re-elected because rival Joe Biden "presents an image of weakness".

"I think Trump has a very good shot, not only because the economy is starting to turn around again," she said. "Even Democrats agree in many polls that he is more likely to be able to handle the economy than Joe Biden.

"But also because an election isn't a referendum on one person - it's a choice between two. Joe Biden presents an image of weakness...can he do the job?"

Donald Trump at his first campaign rally of 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Getty Images)
GettyImages

It comes after Mr Trump's first rally since the coronavirus lockdown, which gained a lower turnout than expected.

Plans for an "overflow rally" for people who couldn't get tickets to the main arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma were abandoned, while photographs showed many empty seats inside the 19,000-seat capacity arena.

The president focused on differences between him and Mr Biden.

He told supporters at the rally: "The choice in 2020 is very simple. Do you want to bow before the left-wing mob, or do you want to stand up tall and proud as Americans?"

Meanwhile, John Bolton, the president's former security advisor, said he will not vote for Mr Trump in the upcoming election, saying: “I don’t think he’s fit for office.”

In an interview with ABC News, Mr Bolton said he hopes history will remember Mr Trump as a "one-term president who didn’t plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral".

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