The MAGA movement isn’t exactly known for its classy, respectable and upstanding behavior, but this is a new low in a movement most people thought had already hit rock bottom. But as it turns out, there isn’t a low too low for some in the movement, as MAGA supporters mine new depths hitherto unreached by their peers.
This Halloween seems to have brought out the worst in MAGA, as commentators and figures like Megyn Kelly dressed as garbage bags in a bizarre attempt to deflect criticism, but only managed to reinforce what people already thought about their garbage people status. But a recent Halloween parade float from Mount Pleasant, P.A. has shocked and appalled attendees and people around the world for its disgusting portrayal of Kamala Harris.
Photos and videos of the event, which is hosted by the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department, have circulated through social media for all the wrong reasons as people are rightfully up in arms about the inclusion of a particular float.
The float features a figure intended to be Donald Trump leading a chained figure intended to be Kamala Harris, dressed in a pantsuit reminiscent of the Vice President’s, through the streets. This shocking image depicts not just the threats of political imprisonment against his opponents by Trump, but also hearkens back to a disgusting period in America’s history by depicting a Woman of Color running for the highest office in the land with imagery evoking the sickening practice of slavery.
Questions are still being asked of how the shocking parade float was even approved in the first place. Mount Pleasant mayor, Diane Bailey, says she is “appalled” at the inclusion of the float but that she “cannot answer totally” how the float was approved and included in the first place. In a statement to CBS News, Diane Bailey said that “This does not belong in this parade or in this town.” She added of the Mount Pleasant VFD that they have “never vetted anyone who wanted to come to the parade,” suggesting that this needs to change.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department has apologized for the float and has stated that it does “not share in the values represented by those participants.” The statement goes on to say that they “will be reviewing [their] planning processes to prevent a situation like this from happening again.” For many, it will be too little, too late as scenes from the Halloween parade have gone viral across America and the world.
The racist depiction of Kamala Harris in chains has attracted comment from the NAACP Pittsburgh branch. Its president, Daylon A. Davis, said: “This appalling portrayal goes beyond the realm of Halloween satire or free expression; it is a harmful symbol that evokes a painful history of violence, oppression, and racism that Black and Brown communities have long endured here in America.”
With reports that Donald Trump may already be losing Pennsylvania, a key state in the battle to win the Presidency, the Halloween events in Mount Pleasant could tilt the scales even further towards the Harris/Walz campaign, in what could be a very disappointing loss for Trump and his campaign. This latest incident comes not from the official campaign but its supporters, but the official campaign itself has been characterized by its opposition to the dignity and rights of women, and has been plagued by racism and racist remarks, and which has been growing increasingly bizarre and cult-like.
Speaking to NBC affiliate WTAE, Michelle Milan McFall, Democratic party chairperson for Westmoreland County said of the events, “It’s vile. It’s heartbreaking. It’s concerning. And I think it’s also got an element of danger.” Adding, “Again, we’re living in this climate where people aren’t just thinking about hatred and feeling it in their guts and bones. They’re acting on it,” in a chilling reminder that the stakes are very high indeed.
