Donald Trump has a history of making hyperbolic predictions about the consequences of elections, particularly when he faces defeat. During the 2020 campaign, he warned of catastrophic outcomes if Joe Biden were elected, such as a stock market crash, the cancellation of holidays like Christmas, and even the collapse of America itself. None of these predictions materialized under Biden’s presidency. The stock market grew, holidays were celebrated, and crime rates did not surge as Trump had foretold.
Trump has now shifted his focus to Kamala Harris, making similarly dire predictions in his 2024 campaign. He claims that a Harris presidency would lead to a “massive stock market downturn,” a “1929-style depression,” and even the abolishment of the suburbs and fossil fuels. He also suggests that Harris would defund the police, confiscate guns, and destroy America, much like the claims he made about Biden.
Despite these apocalyptic warnings, many of Trump’s previous predictions about the Biden presidency—such as widespread economic collapse, the abolition of religious freedoms, and the destruction of American suburbs—have not come true. Under Biden, oil production has reached record levels, crime has fallen in many areas, and police funding has increased. Trump’s portrayal of the election as a battle for America’s survival remains a central theme in his campaign, but his repeated reliance on exaggerated and false claims raises questions about the credibility of his warnings.
As Trump campaigns for 2024, his message remains one of doom if he does not win, echoing the rhetoric from 2020 that the election could only be lost through fraud or cheating. Whether his current predictions will resonate with voters, or whether they will prove as inaccurate as those from the previous election, is yet to be determined.
