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Donald Trump was mocked online after proposing a solution to crime that bore jarring similarity to horror movie franchise The Purge.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday the former president suggested that one way to decrease levels of criminal activity would be allowing police “one rough hour” to tackle the issue, during which time there would be less restraints.
“One rough hour and I mean real rough, the word will get out and it will end immediately,” Trump said.
Social media users were quick to point out that a world in which people are free to act without impunity for a short amount of time is the exact plot of The Purge. One user on X posted a reminder of the original 2013 film’s synopsis.
“In an America ravaged by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government sanctions an annual 12-hour period during which all criminal activity – including murder – is legal,” the synopsis reads.
“Trump is literally proposing The Purge lmao,” wrote one X user, with another suggesting that the former president had just watched the movies.
“The way he watched The Purge and sat there like you know what… we should try this,” they said.
“He’s just describing the premise of The Purge,” added conservative anti-Trump PAC The Lincoln Project, sharing a clip of Trump’s remarks.
Others pointed out that one of the movie’s multiple sequels came out in 2016 and was titled The Purge: Election Year – the same year that Trump was elected as president.
The film’s tagline - “Keep America Great” - received attention from the internet and media alike when it became the slogan used by Trump for his 2020 re-election campaign.
“The Purge: Election Year came out in 2016. Trump stole its motto in 2020 and its plot in 2024,” wrote a social media user.
In a statement shared with The Independent a Trump campaign spokesperson said: “President Trump has always been the law and order President and he continues to reiterate the importance of enforcing existing laws.
“Otherwise it’s all-out anarchy, which is what Kamala Harris has created in some of these communities across America, especially during her time as CA Attorney General when she emboldened criminals.”
