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Trump warns of violence if Republicans lose fall elections

66 Comments
By JILL COLVIN

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Burning BushToday  07:17 am JST

Good call.

No need to further the divisions in American society, vote Republican and bring peace and harmony to the land.

And if that doesn't work, threaten everyone who expresses an opinion you dislike with all the guns that you have.

28 ( +32 / -4 )

He's inducing violence, making a threat. He's being a crybaby. He's desperate.

24 ( +29 / -5 )

Facism folks!

22 ( +26 / -4 )

Antifa

-15 ( +3 / -18 )

The story isn't really Trump slandering his opponents. Mr. "Both sides"(-at-a-rally-where-fascists-murdered-an-innocent-peaceful-counter-protester) always slanders his opponents. His favorite MO is projection, so you can be sure that Trump has violence from his supporters if he loses on his mind. But all of that we already know. After all, he does court fascists.

No, the real story here is the so-called Johnson Amendment, an amendment banning tax-exempt religious institutions from explicitly getting involved in political campaigns. Trump claims to have "gotten rid of" the law, when in fact despite Republicans controlling 2.5/3rds of the government, hasn't happened. Presidents can't repeal laws, and Trump's rubber-stamping sycophants in Congress don't seem interested in trying to repeal it. So we must conclude Trump hasn't asked for it to be repealed. To my knowledge, this law has never been enforced.

Trump's meeting with these evangelicals was to encourage them to preach on his behalf, or else Democrats would bring back the law. But the law still exists, and there is no sign Democrats intend to enforce it harder should a blue wave happen. So basically Trump is encouraging people to break a law he hasn't bothered to push for repeal in order to stop Democrats from bringing it back even though it still exists, and no one seems to want to do anything with it. Our "law and order" POUTUS is literally calling on people to break the law.

14 ( +18 / -4 )

ummmm he is saying Democrats will be violent, to include their far left brethren Antifa. Who would be “emboldened” by a Republican loss of a part of Congress.

-19 ( +4 / -23 )

Threstening violence if they don't vote for Trump? I guess that's one platform to run with.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

BlacklabelToday  07:54 am JST

ummmm he is saying Democrats will be violent, to include their far left brethren Antifa. Who would be “emboldened” by a Republican loss of a part of Congress.

The same people who make a big deal about how many guns they have when they stand behind Trump?

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Says the guy who regularly encouraged violence during his campaign and after.

Or is it a call to his base to take power by force if they lose the election ? Yeah, it's more like it...

21 ( +24 / -3 )

At the dinner, Trump talked up his administration's efforts to bolster conservative Christian causes and urged those gathered to get their "people" to vote, warning the efforts could quickly be undone.

You know, all those good Christian causes and values like adultery, intolerance, race-baiting, supporting white supremacism, tearing children from their parents...

12 ( +16 / -4 )

They will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently. And violently. There’s violence. When you look at antifa, and you look at some of these groups, these are violent people.

Gee, how would one interpret that?

Communicating with the president should not be like reading tea leaves. Trump is straight-out saying leftwing groups will resort to violence to achieve their aims (though why, if they've already won at the ballot box, is unclear). The irony is that rightwing violence is at a 30-year high.

16 ( +19 / -3 )

Threatening violence if they don't vote for Trump?

I think you need to read the article again please. Trump wasn't "threatening violence" but warning of violence from the ANTIFA and other groups.

-12 ( +4 / -16 )

It seems the US was a much more civil country when I spend a year studying there in the late 90s. What happened?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Communicating with the president should not be like reading tea leaves. Trump is straight-out saying leftwing groups will resort to violence to achieve their aims (though why, if they've already won at the ballot box, is unclear). The irony is that rightwing violence is at a 30-year high

This is what gets me by the left, that they never look inside your own closet.

https://dailycaller.com/2017/06/16/this-list-of-attacks-against-conservatives-is-mind-blowing/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/antifa-domestic-terrorists-us-security-agencies-homeland-security-fbi-a7927881.html

As bad and as vile as these white supremacist and KKK members are, they applied for legal permit and can therefore go out and protest and that’s all they do, but then Antifa comes and thinks they have the right to get in people’s faces and deny them their constitutional right to speak out. Even hate speech is protected, but the left doesn’t want or believe that.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

It seems the US was a much more civil country when I spend a year studying there in the late 90s. What happened?

Since it was a colony the US has always had deep divisions at all levels of society among all groups and sub-groups.

It was the 1990's when the Internet became widely available. The internet has given people access to more information and opinions than ever before.

Social media has allowed more people to express opinions, letting people see how fractured parts of the US are.

Through the internet and social media trolls have been hired to pour flames on long burning fires. And now the divider-in-chief is using his powers to add more fuel to the fires. Among other things.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

President Trump is referring to socialists/radical far-left liberals who -- like in November 2016 -- will once again be screaming helpless at the sky, melting down and ramping up their violence across this nation after the Red Tsunami washes over America in 70 days.

-14 ( +6 / -20 )

BlacklabelToday  07:54 am JST

*ummmm he is saying Democrats will be violent, to include their far left brethren Antifa.*

That makes even less sense than what Trump said.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

Texas A&M AggieToday  09:08 am JST

President Trump is referring to socialists/radical far-left liberals who -- like in November 2016 -- will once again be screaming helpless at the sky, melting down and ramping up their violence across this nation after the Red Tsunami washes over America in 70 days.

Orwell's Ministry of Truth clearly wasn't just fictional. Let's hope you're right about that... "red tsunami" thing or predictions like that are going to make you look like more of a clueless brainwashed dupe than you already do.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

Gibbering rightwing religious crackpots were saying Obama planned to cancel the 2016 election and declare martial law. One of them was the barking mad, grain-in-pyramids, biblical-flat-tax supporting lunatic and wannabe theocrat Ben Carson. Quite a lot of them thought the last president was the anti-Christ or a Muslim. As for the birthers...

It doesn’t take much to get these headbangers scared or excited.

The Taliban are more rational than this shower.

16 ( +18 / -2 )

you mean more than the 234 mass shootings in 239 days? The gun-crazed will have to check their calendars, to see if they can fit it in

11 ( +13 / -2 )

JimizoToday  09:41 am JST

The Taliban are more rational than this shower.

Quite. As someone else sensibly pointed out, why would the Democrats and "the left" be violent if they won big in November? It's right-wing nut jobs who keep threatening violence if they think they won't get what they want, e.g. Gulliani saying there will be civil war if Trump gets impeached. Never mind that he could only be implying that Trump's supporters would start it, as I think "the left" would all be too busy celebrating.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Burning BushToday  07:17 am JST

Good call.

No need to further the divisions in American society, ...

100% correct, the country is already totally divided - Trump's biggest, and only real, achievement.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

starpunkToday  07:36 am JST

He's inducing violence, making a threat. He's being a crybaby. He's desperate.

He's behaving like every other crazy DESPOT the world has ever seen.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

gokai_wo_manekuToday  08:54 am JST

It seems the US was a much more civil country when I spend a year studying there in the late 90s. What happened?

TRUMP HAPPENED!!!!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Antifa is a group that protests against fascists and white supremacists. If Trump is conflating Antifa with the entire Democratic party and its voters, then he must think of himself and his people as fascists and white supremacists. Pretty clear dog whistle there.

Evangelical Christians seem to have no problem with this.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Simon FostonToday  09:25 am JST

Texas A&M AggieToday  09:08 am JST

President Trump is referring to socialists/radical far-left liberals who -- like in November 2016 -- will once again be screaming helpless at the sky, melting down and ramping up their violence across this nation after the Red Tsunami washes over America in 70 days.

Orwell's Ministry of Truth clearly wasn't just fictional. Let's hope you're right about that... "red tsunami" thing or predictions like that are going to make you look like more of a clueless brainwashed dupe than you already do.

Simon, I think you meant to say that Texas A&M should hope that HE'S right about the "red tsunami thing", because I certainly don't hope that he is right about that.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

President Trump is referring to socialists/radical far-left liberals who -- like in November 2016 -- will once again be screaming helpless at the sky, melting down and ramping up their violence

Apparently American leftists are both helpless weaklings and on the verge of a violent takeover all at the same time.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Trump has it exactly backwards. It was after Dems lost that the Bernie boy tried to kill a ball park full of Republicans.

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

gokai_wo_manekuToday  08:54 am JST

It seems the US was a much more civil country when I spend a year studying there in the late 90s. What happened?

Its a convergence of a number of things;

The Republican party, which had mostly kept is far-right, white supremacist, authoritarian nut jobs, under cover allowed them to sneak out - and spread their message of intolerance and hate, fostered by near 24/7 coverage by Fox News

This was then magnified by the election of President Obama

Trump saw an opportunity to leverage this - remember he was a Democrat who said on Fox News - "if I run for President it will be as a Republican because your viewers believe anything that's on Fox News"

Trump used this message of intolerance and hate to vanquish his mainstream Republican opponents in 2016 - and the Republican party that we once knew was gone - its now dead.  He then brought his "reality-show" act to the White House.

In addition, the effect of the comprehensive Russian cyber influence operation cannot be overstated.  It magnified all the divisive rhetoric with a goal of creating as much left/right division as possible - you see it today reflected in these posts. And its still ongoing in the US and in democracies throughout the world.

As a result, Americans are more divided today than they have ever been.

But I have hope things will get better.  The policies of intolerance and division are not what a majority of Americans seek - and we certainly don't want to see our country become anything like Russia, which is where Trump would like to take us. 

Our experience with "reality show" leaders, who party with porn stars, Playboy Bunnies, and Putin will soon be over.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

@plastic: Antifa is a group that protests against fascists 

Antifa is purposefully violent. They are themselves fascists. I can only assume they call themselves anti fascist in order to be ironic. They incite violence as a tactic to discredit their political foes. It is illogical to fight hate with hate. Furthermore it is a self defeating tactic if the goal is opposition to white supremacy. Violence doesn’t win hearts and minds. Ghandi and MLK would not approve. I can’t understand why any sane Leftist would want to associate themselves with them.

-13 ( +3 / -16 )

Antifa is a group that protests against fascists and white supremacists.

Antifa is also a group that reserves the exclusive right, for itself, to say who is a fascist and who is a white supremacist, . Consequently, you have antifa members calling blacks who disagree with them "white supremacists" and anyone to the right of Chairman Mao a fascist. Those terms, along with racist, have been so overused and misused that they have become meaningless. They just get lost in the white noise of repetitive regurgitation.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

This is a benefit of having a bubble.

Right wing groups are responsible for far more violence and a vast majority of the murders. The bubble can exclude those stories and focus exclusively on Antifa, and those in the bubble walk around with the impression that left wing groups are more violent.

Think about a US serviceman in Japan making the national news for running out on a taxi bill, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. The Japanese will swear that servicemen commit more crime and no amount of statistics change their minds.

One poster here even said he carried a gun because he was afraid of violent left wingers, just to give you an idea about the information imbalance.

Trump obviously felt comfortable using the threat of Antifa as a way to get support out of fear. That’s the full circle of the bubble. Make them afraid, then tap into the fear for the payoff.

If you vote for the Democrat then transgenders will go after your kids in bathrooms. If you vote for the Democrat then minorities will freely flow into the border and rape your women, If you vote for the Democrat then he will enact socialist policies that will bankrupt the country and make you homeless. They all pretty much center around your death, harm to your family, or a total financial loss.

Trump’s just tapping into that classic GOP strategy.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Wolfpack: Antifa is purposefully violent. They are themselves fascists. I can only assume they call themselves anti fascist in order to be ironic. They incite violence as a tactic to discredit their political foes. It is illogical to fight hate with hate. Furthermore it is a self defeating tactic if the goal is opposition to white supremacy. Violence doesn’t win hearts and minds. Ghandi and MLK would not approve.

The above is mostly true.

I can’t understand why any sane Leftist would want to associate themselves with them.

And here’s the disconnect.

The right has the strawman that since these groups are left then the left supports them. In reality, if you go to any major left-leaning publication, you will find nothing but criticism for the group. Now compare that to the politicial and news inroads the alt-right has made under Trump. Night and day difference.

On more than one occasion I’ve provided links from articles from major leaf-leaning publicans showing the criticism to a conservative. That’s the beauty of the bubble again....they are told that we support Antifa so that’s what they believe.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

So basically Trump is telling the Americans who have a lot of guns to be fearful of violence from the Americans who don't have a lot of guns?

Okay then.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

By calling Democrats violent, Trump is legitimizing violence against them. He's really calling for a violent put-down to a Democratic electoral takeover.  At least that's what it sounds like. We have a dangerous criminal who is not only at large, he's in charge of the country.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

More treason and dictatorial behaviour from Trump. The man should be locked up for the rest of his life.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

I don't really care whether he is warning that the Democrats will be violent or threatening that the Republicans will be. The real problem is he is trying to instill fear as a way of getting votes. Hopefully most Americans can see past this.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council

This is the man who saw floods as god’s wrath for a society which condones homosexuality. A sort of Fred Phelps lite. To be fair to Trump, the LGBT community is one community he hasn’t targeted with trash and intolerant statements.

Perkins is a bigot, a religious lunatic and a hypocrite.

The evangelicals really do have to bend themselves into grotesque shapes to defend Trump the man.

The racists don’t need to do such difficult contortions. They can pretty much stand at ease.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

The person saying these daft things is Donald Trump, the failed capitalist, failed president, with the lowest ratings ever recorded. He will be impeached -- just as soon as the American voters elect Democrats in unprecedented numbers in November's midterm elections. Prepare to meet thy doom.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Gremlin.GaijinToday 10:04 am JST

Simon, I think you meant to say that Texas A&M should hope that HE'S right...

I was hoping for his sake. I would hate for anyone to make such bold predictions and end up looking a bit stupid. It's probably a wasted sentiment, though. I suspect that people who make these kinds of simplistic, hyperbolic statements are political activists who won't ever stop because there's something in it for them, or just a bit thick.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

What Trump is warning us about is, if the Democrats take over the Congress, the country is screwed and we might have a civil war. We had one before. The anti-slavery side won. This time it would be the globalist/liberal side vs the anti-globalist/conservative side.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

This guy is a serious piece of work! Already trying to incite violence if he doesn't get what he wants. Three more years of this sociopath hopefully will be enough for most people to see the grave error in electing this unfit danger to society.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

@serrano and we might have a civil war.

What is it with rightists, Republicans and paid posters from certain 'foreign' nations. Why is war the alternative they so frequently list.

Hillary no fly zone = WW3. NK v. US = Nuclear war. Trump vs. 'liberals' = civil war.

Maybe if these posters would question alarmist articles written in the Putin-press and other alt right publications they'd see there are multiple shades of gray between black as night and blinding white.

Unless they just want to further divide a splintered nation.

https://www.rt.com/usa/430957-america-new-civil-war-trump/

6 ( +9 / -3 )

@Serrano, a civil war over "globalism" or "isolationism" makes very little sense. If conservatives want to reject international business agreements, then they shouldn't celebrate foreign companies as saviors of the economy like Governor Scott Walker did with the massive tax relief deal for Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn/Hon Hai to open a plant in his state, or like Trump's company asking the government to give foreign workers visas to be employed at his resorts. Are conservatives going to storm Mar-a-Lago and demand that only Americans get those lousy low paid jobs? The idea of anyone taking it to the level of a "civil war" is farking comical.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Consequently, you have antifa members calling blacks who disagree with them "white supremacists" and anyone to the right of Chairman Mao a fascist.

I presume you realise that antifa is a movement and not an organisation that one signs up to?

Antifa in the US may be considered pedestrian by antifa in London or Berlin?

Anyway, it's ironic that the man who has constantly stirred and advocated violence and admitted to sexual assault is flaming the evangelicals. Surreal!

4 ( +7 / -3 )

 This time it would be the globalist/liberal side vs the anti-globalist/conservative side.

I am curious as to why the anti-Semitic slur "globalist" is *still** *used repeatedly here.

Will those advocating civil war be joining in, I wonder?

Trump's language is plain for all to see and his man blew a big not so subtle dog whistle the other day.

Seems to me that some on the far right want violence to occur. This is usually how it begins; the death of democracy.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

I am curious as to why the anti-Semitic slur "globalist" is *still** *used repeatedly here.

What's worrying is many of those pushing for totalitarianism now have probably read about Europe in the 1930's and know which group used that term then, and still think it's OK to use it today.

It could also be some aren't familiar with how that term was used and just use it because it's easy to remember, points to some no-see-um evil force that's haunting them along with the spectre of Obama and Hillary. It's memetic, like MSM and the others so often trotted out, and when used identifies them with their fellow

Will those advocating civil war be joining in, I wonder?

Several of them claim to live in Japan but admit they have a cache of weapons back in the US.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

What Trump is warning us about is, if the Democrats take over the Congress, the country is screwed and we might have a civil war. We had one before. The anti-slavery side won. This time it would be the globalist/liberal side vs the anti-globalist/conservative side.

Oh thank you so much, that clarifies a lot. For a minute there I was worried that he had really followed those paranoid conspiracy theorists he likes into the delusional deep end. You can't imagine how relieved I find it to hear that all he was talking about was the coming globalist/anti-globalist American civil war that will break out if the Democrats win the junior chamber in Congress, because duh, everybody knows that is going to happen.

On that note, I'll make a quick prediction. When the civil war does come, probably the United States armed forces are going to win. The Antifa faction's ground forces are mainly made up of teenagers wearing hoodies and armed with sling shots who I think will find great difficulty in tactically engaging M1 Abrams main battle tanks. Their air and naval forces are also quite a bit weaker in reality than they seem on paper. Likewise the anti-globalist right wing faction, while it has a much stronger light infantry force is going to have its ground campaigns compromised by the fact that none of its leaders have anything higher than an 8th grade education. Also, while it has experience with blowing up buildings full of schoolchildren in Oklahoma, it has very little anti-aircraft capability.

So yeah. Probably the United States armed forces will win the civil war when it breaks out in November.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

What's worrying is many of those pushing for totalitarianism now have probably read about Europe in the 1930's and know which group used that term then, and still think it's OK to use it today.

Not sure they do read history, mind. Otherwise they'd see that antifa and anti-fascist movements have been in existence for nearly a hundred years.

They were demonised then and now. They were beaten and (esp WW2) died in concentration camps.

It's said we learn by our mistakes, that history has a valuable lesson to teach us.

It's a pity that history is either being ignored by some, or the dark past is being used to some leaders advantages.

I hope we will not see violence but with the atmosphere that Trump has fostered and riled up, it's hard to dismiss the possibility.

He positively wants the violence, I think.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

The authoritarian left at it again trying to police the language...

1 ( +7 / -6 )

@Wolfpack

I can’t understand why any sane Leftist would want to associate themselves with them.

You didn't read carefully.

A tiny minority of "leftists" (by whom I think you mean Democrats) associate with Antifa. Antifa is by no means representative of "the left" in America. The point of my post was that Trump is purposefully conflating the two. He knows it's BS, but hey, this is reality TV, and his base loves it.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Jimizo, well said and right on the money.

The term globalist is commonly used to refer to policies or people who advocate globalization.

There are posters here who would love to further diminish the right to free speech by banning a completely innocuous word because it is used against their political agenda.

theyve implied in this thread that it was used by Hitler and the nazis. That is a LIE.

Antifa tactics.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

So Dumpf is basically saying that if the Democrats win in November they will go on a violent rampage? Why? He's bonkers, no other explanation. Paranoid, delusional... my God... He's Caligula!!!! He'll have a horse as a Vice President next

2 ( +5 / -3 )

The term globalist is commonly used to refer to policies or people who advocate globalization.

Would that include real estate magnates with property around the globe? How about right wing politicians hawking "anti-globalist" paraphernalia made in China? Asking for a friend.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

All readers back on topic please. Please don't get bogged down on one word.

That the walls are closing in is clear. With the economy as it is, 2018 should be a bonanza election for the GOP - but it's a toss-up. And Trump is panicking about losing the House, and not just due to impeachment; for example, Cohen could (and would) be summoned to testify in open hearing with no ability to plead immunity as he's already plead guilty, and, trust me, there is no love lost between the two.

Saturday is McCain's funeral in the Rotunda, from which Trump has been conspicuously excluded. Friday is the last day of August before the midterms, so expect some indictments.

Trump's latest eruption may seem alarming or Apoloplyptic depending on how inured one has grown. I'm afraid we've seen nothing yet. We've reached "cats and dogs sleeping together" level.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Saturday is McCain's funeral in the Rotunda, from which Trump has been conspicuously excluded. 

He has been excluded because he is not a part of the swamp.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

SerranoToday 01:09 pm JST

What Trump is warning us about is, if the Democrats take over the Congress, the country is screwed and we might have a civil war.

No, you'll have Trump supporters starting an armed insurrection against the legitimately elected government, or one branch of it. I can't see anyone else going on a rampage if the Democrats take over Congress.

We had one before.

With the USA actually split into two nations, each with its own government and armed forces. Nothing like that is going to happen. A few idiots are likely to end up in prison because if they engage in acts of violence against the state they'll be criminals and traitors.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

He has been excluded because he is not a part of the swamp.

Lol Sure. He's not part of the swamp, he is the swamp. Pure swamp.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

yakyakToday  05:04 pm JST

Saturday is McCain's funeral in the Rotunda, from which Trump has been conspicuously excluded. 

He has been excluded because he is not a part of the swamp.

There, ladies and gentlemen, encapsulated in one sentence is how Trump supporters view our military and someone who was a war hero...

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

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