President Donald Trump can’t help but sow division, even at a time when Americans are largely united in supporting stay-at-home orders and social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Just after 11:21 am Eastern time on Friday, President Donald Trump posted a trio of tweets endorsing the so-called liberation of a trio of states with Democratic governors from measures they’ve taken to slow the spread of coronavirus.
These posts — which are among the most dangerous of Trump’s tenure — appear to have been inspired by a segment he saw on Fox News minutes earlier.
“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” Trump began, with two further tweets saying “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd amendment. It is under siege!”
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
At 11:19 — two minutes before Trump’s Minnesota tweet — Fox News ran a segment about small groups of right-wing protesters in Minnesota and Virginia who have been agitating for governors there to relax stay-at-home orders so they can resume normal shopping and traveling activities.
Watch:
Here's the Fox News segment that inspired Trump's unhinged "LIBERATE MINNESOTA" tweet (as @MattGertz notes it ran just two minutes before Trump's tweet was posted) pic.twitter.com/mHLxCcpoDP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 17, 2020
Fox has extensively covered right-wing demonstrations in Michigan on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, which echo the same theme. Early Friday afternoon, Fox News displayed chyrons promoting an anti-stay-at-home protest scheduled for later in the day in Minnesota.
Fox News is actively promoting right-wing protests against stay at home orders pic.twitter.com/50zCeQXNZL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 17, 2020
Fox News’s coverage might give you the idea that these protesters represent the views of a significant chunk of people in their states. But polling indicates that’s not the case. For instance, a YouGov/Economist poll released Wednesday found that 61 percent of Americans think Trump should institute a nationwide stay-at-home order, compared to just 22 percent who are opposed. Along the same lines, polling from the Pew Research Central released on Thursday showed that 66 percent of people are concerned their state governments will relax social distancing restrictions too soon, compared to just 32 percent who are worried they won’t move quickly enough.
As Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) noted in response to the so-called “Operation Gridlock” in her state, the sad irony is that such demonstrations could end up extending the need for stay-at-home orders by spreading the virus among protesters. But asked on Thursday if he thinks protesters in Michigan should listen to local officials like Whitmer, Trump said that such people listen to him instead.
“I think they’re listening. I think they listen to me. They seem to be protesters that like me,” Trump said.
JON KARL: Shouldn't the anti-stay-at-home protesters in Michigan listen to local authorities?
TRUMP: "I think they're listening. I think they listen to me. They seem to be protesters that like me." pic.twitter.com/842jov2kY8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 16, 2020
One shudders to contemplate what sorts of actions right-wing protesters might take if they interpret Trump’s call for them to “LIBERATE” their states seriously.
Indeed.
I was worried about a civil war breaking out after the election. But between shit like this, Trump egging it on, and state governors forming coalitions to pursue a coronavirus response in opposition to Trump's edicts and unconstitutional claims of absolute authority, I'm increasingly wondering if we'll make it that far.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
Elements of the Reich-wing have also been agitating to make the issue of guns in Virginia the flashpoint for a new civil war for a while. It didn't work before, so I guess they're trying a new angle with COVID.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
Washington governor: Trump is 'fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies'
Jay Inslee, the Democratic governor of Washington state, accused Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies” with his tweets about liberating states currently under stay-at-home orders.
Governor Jay Inslee
(@GovInslee)
The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies - even while his own administration says the virus is real, it is deadly and we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted. 2/7
April 17, 2020
“Yesterday, the president told the nation science would guide his plan for easing restrictions. The White House released a sensible plan to resume economic activity,” Inslee wrote in a tweet. “24 hrs later he is off the rails, ignoring his own plan and spewing dangerous, anti-democratic rhetoric.”
At yesterday’s news conference, Trump said governors should be “empowered” to make their own decisions about how and when to reopen their states.
But the president’s tweets today echoed messaging from right-wing protesters, some of whom have ignored social distancing guidelines to demonstrate against the stay-at-home orders in Michigan and Minnesota.
Washington state was one of the first states to report an outbreak of coronavirus, and 590 residents have already died from the virus.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
Not to go on a bit of a tangent, but this whole situation is actually a really nice example of why the whole "state's rights vs. centralized government" debate that is often discussed with respect to American history is not always so black and white, and why it is important to have some sort of balance between them. How the authority invested in the states can be used as a check and balance against federal oversight; just as there have been times in history (like, you know, that one really big one) that federal authority is an important counterweight to the power of the states themselves. It will be really interesting to see how this situation evolves, and how it eventually resolves, because it will almost certainly have very profound ramifications for the way the American government operates for the next decade or so.
Ziggy Stardust wrote: ↑2020-04-18 10:31am
Not to go on a bit of a tangent, but this whole situation is actually a really nice example of why the whole "state's rights vs. centralized government" debate that is often discussed with respect to American history is not always so black and white, and why it is important to have some sort of balance between them. How the authority invested in the states can be used as a check and balance against federal oversight; just as there have been times in history (like, you know, that one really big one) that federal authority is an important counterweight to the power of the states themselves. It will be really interesting to see how this situation evolves, and how it eventually resolves, because it will almost certainly have very profound ramifications for the way the American government operates for the next decade or so.
I generally lean in favor of Federal authority, in part due to the abysmal history of "States' Rights" being used to block any progress on civil rights and, oh yeah, try to justify the War of Southern Treason.
However, I will acknowledge that in a case where the Federal government is almost entirely dysfunctional or corrupt, it may be necessary for lower levels of government to act in opposition to and as a check upon it.
My preference would be to reform the Federal government into something more functional, rather than to increase decentralization and the powers of the States. But until the former can be accomplished, the latter may be necessary.
"I know its easy to be defeatist here because nothing has seemingly reigned Trump in so far. But I will say this: every asshole succeeds until finally, they don't. Again, 18 months before he resigned, Nixon had a sky-high approval rating of 67%. Harvey Weinstein was winning Oscars until one day, he definitely wasn't."-John Oliver
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan."-General Von Clauswitz, describing my opinion of Bernie or Busters and third partiers in a nutshell.
I SUPPORT A NATIONAL GENERAL STRIKE TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE.
