In accepting the Republican nomination on Thursday, President Donald Trump made clear that he hopes the excesses of the radical left will help secure him a second term.

Trump delivered a lengthy speech from the White House lawn that often felt more like a workmanlike State of the Union address than one of the raucous rallies that he thrives on. He mostly adhered to the prepared remarks and delved into a litany of topics. But more than anything, what stood out was his efforts to tie Joe Biden to the extreme left of his party at a time when people are growing weary of images of burning cities.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, which most people saw as an unjustified use of force by police, demonstrations that were broadly sympathetic have veered into looting, violence, and lawlessness. Liberals have condemned America as racist — and mobs have taken to toppling and defacing statues of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and even noted abolitionists.

In one of the key lines in his speech, Trump asked, “How can the Democrat Party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country?” He explained, “In the left’s backward view, they do not see America as the most free, just, and exceptional nation on earth. Instead, they see a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins.”

Democratic mayors and governors have allowed the violence to continue, while Biden and Kamala Harris have cheered on protesters and soft-peddled criticism of the violence.

“If the radical left takes power,” Trump warned, “they will apply their disastrous policies to every city, town, and suburb in America.”

Even though Trump did highlight many differences he had with Biden on specific domestic and foreign policy issues, Trump’s argument was as much about the culture as it was about any specific agenda item. The context is an ever-broadening definition of unacceptable statements or actions that have caused ordinary citizens to get harassed on social media and even fired.

As he put it, “Americans are exhausted trying to keep up with the latest list of approved words and phrases, and the ever-more restrictive political decrees. Many things have a different name now, and the rules are constantly changing. The goal of cancel culture is to make decent Americans live in fear of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated, and driven from society as we know it.”

Trump’s comments come during a time when patience for constant rioting and the breakdown of law and order in the cities is wearing thin. A recent Marquette Law School poll found that in Wisconsin, public support for Black Lives Matter protests had dropped a net 25 points between June and August — and the polling was done before the recent flare-up of violence in Kenosha.

The success of Trump’s strategy is likely to hinge on several factors. One is whether swing voters are afraid enough of the radical left to overcome their significant reservations about giving a second term to Trump. Another is whether these voters can be made to view Biden as just a “Trojan horse” for the left wing of the party.

After starting the year with a strong economy and having fended off impeachment, Trump’s approval ratings have fallen as he’s struggled with the onset of the coronavirus and the resulting economic devastation. But he’s betting that the overreach of the left may once again come to his rescue.