Senior MAGA officials at Trump Trial
Quotes Following Trump’s 34 Count Felony Conviction:
“I'm not sure the public would stand for it [jailing me.] I think it'd be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point, there's a breaking point."
Donald Trump on Fox News, June 2nd.
“I’m not just talking. You tyrants are about to awaken a machine you don’t want. You are pushing people to the edge. The same party that is offended by the wrong pronoun is pushing the party that owns 90% of the guns, of which, the majority defends our nation, who mine our minerals, who build our skyscrapers, and drive our trucks. You weak people have no idea. You people in your cities with your white-shoe consultants, country clubs who thought prosecuting Trump was a good idea. You have never met America.”
Newsmax host Carl Higbie, May 31st
“Pick a side, or YOU are next,” conservative talk show host Dan Bongino on the Truth Social media platform, on May 31st. Typical reader response: “Dan, seriously now… I see no way out of all this mess without bloodshed. When you can rig an election, then weaponize the government and the courts against a former President, what other alternative is there? I’m almost 70 and would rather die than live in tyranny.”
“I want to see lists of which Democrat officials are going to be put in prison. This is what happens when you cross the Rubicon.”
May 30th Tweet from Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing website The Federalist
“You had 12 jurors who, from all appearances, really devoted themselves to seeking the truth in this case, and all 12 of them unanimously said on 34 counts. Donald Trump is guilty. I don’t think that should be lightly dismissed.”
Former Arkansas GOP Governor, Asa Hutchinson, NewsNation, May 31st.
“I do believe the Supreme Court should step in… Obviously, this is totally unprecedented.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, on Fox News, May 31st.
“Shortly after the verdict was announced, the personality cult right exploded in hyperbole, declaring it the end of the American justice system, lamenting the United States’ descent into the Third World , and even calling for reprisals against Democratic officials. This collective gnashing of teeth was mocked by many who took note of the contrived outrage on display.”
Journalist Isaac Schorr on Mediaite, May 31st.
Ever since Citizens United vs FEC (Supreme Court 2010) enabled unbridled political advertising, extremism has proliferated; Americans have been demanded to pick sides. Polarization has since become the rule. The majority of Americans believe a civil war is possible. Our own Supreme Court, unbounded by any enforceable ethical standards, has become a profoundly partisan explosion of cash and “gift” corruption, obvious conflicts of interest and the amplifier of divisiveness. Racism, in particular, white Christian nationalism with its own set of uniformed militias, and vicious and often totally fabricated political attacks have become normalized. The ends (incumbent white power) now justify the means.
Not all the quotes above show uniform GOP disgust at our system of justice, seemingly working well, that convicted MAGA’s Golden Calf. Indeed, a small coterie of Republicans have reversed their support for Donald Trump, but the polls still sit close to dead even. If the candidate who, on January 6th, admonished the pre-Capitol attackers to “fight like hell” to reverse the “stolen” election, who suggested that if he were not elected on November 5th, there could be a “bloodbath,” may look like a broken man after his felony conviction – pale, hunched over with sleeplessness written all over his face – but he is clearly calling his followers to prepare for a violent response.
Knowing that any sign of disloyalty to Trump supremacy represents a most probable end of a political career for any GOP candidate, the sycophant Republicans who have outsourced their minds to “whatever Donald wants” may not realize that they are effectively arguing for an armed insurrection if a MAGA autocracy is not elected. And if, somehow, we get through the “stop the steal again” response we all expect if Trump is indeed not elected, have these self-described “patriots” truly accepted the fact that they are calling for an end to the very democracy so many generations of truly patriotic American soldiers died trying to protect?
But most of all, is there any hope in the foreseeable future to bring Americans together, to believe in representative democracy where all citizens have an equal voice in governance? Or is it already too late? I know what our enemies want… but sadly too many Americans don’t care… and even admire the brutal regimes that clearly wish to destroy our nation.
I’m Peter Dekom, and in today’s misuse of once positive epithets, the word I hate the most is “patriot” when applied to individuals who wish to end American democracy.
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