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Yphtach Lelkes, an associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, said that framing cities as dangerous does more than raise concerns about crime; it signals that these places are morally and culturally different, even alien from small-town America.

“It tells rural and suburban voters that cities aren’t just far away, they’re run by people who don’t share their values,” said Lelkes, who co-directs the Polarization Research Lab, which looks at affective polarization, social trust, and political violence

“That perception fuels anger, disgust, and fear ― emotions that are powerful political motivators,” he said. “These feelings can mobilize voters, boost support for tough-on-crime or authoritarian policies, and create a strong sense of political urgency.”

When Trump lambasts Los Angeles or Detroit, he’s not speaking to the people in those cities who loathe him or even directly to his rural base (though all the better if the base is revved up). It’s actually suburbanites he’s hoping to hook, said Kal Munis, an assistant professor of political science at Auburn University in Alabama.