Experts in the field of political science are predicting MAGA supporters could resort to violence over Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush money trial.
The prediction is hardly surprising as Trump supporters have been prone to violence in the past. Armed MAGA supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, after refusing to accept the results of the electoral system in the 2020 presidential election. Concerningly, a similar pattern seems to be arising now, with belligerent conservatives refusing to accept the validity of the justice system’s ruling on Trump’s hush money trial. The former president stood trial on 34 charges of falsifying business records after he attempted to cover up the hush money he paid Stormy Daniels to keep her from disclosing their alleged affair. He received a felony charge for every document he falsified to attribute the hush money payment to legal fees.
On May 30, 2023, in a major victory for justice, Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony. The news sparked celebrations from many citizens who have waited years to see Trump answer for his corruption and learn that he is not above the law. Unfortunately, conservatives have successfully put a damper on the good news as many have been issuing what could be credible threats of violence.
MAGA supporters claim they are going to “war”
Shortly after the verdict was handed down, #CivilWar started trending on X, formerly Twitter, with thousands of posts from conservatives calling for a Civil War. Conservative pundit Tim Pool simply wrote “war” on X, a post that somehow garnered 32k likes and nearly 5,000 reshares. Commentator Chase Geiser made a similar post soon after. Meanwhile, conservative podcast host Joey Mannarino wrote, “The Civil War just began. We no longer live in a democracy.” Alex Jones echoed his sentiment that the war had begun, while podcaster Stew Peters told his followers on Telegram, “Our judicial system has been weaponised… we are left with NO other option but to take matters into our own hands.” Right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk ominously wrote, “Make them pay,” after baselessly claiming the trial was rigged.
Even those not explicitly calling for violence are stirring hysteria with loaded statements about how “justice is dead” and conservatives are under attack. Of course, most of the statements are simply conservatives spewing nonsense. Do a bunch of middle-aged manbabies who are scared of the Barbie movie and threatening to go to war from their basements really expect us to believe they’re going to do something?
However, not all of the threats can be so easily dismissed. Even if the keyboard warriors aren’t going to do anything, their posts are reaching tens of thousands of people who are liking, commenting, and sharing the sentiment that violence is the answer to Trump’s verdict.
Dr. Todd Landman, a professor of political science at the University of Nottingham spoke to Newsweek about the threats, admitting that there is a chance of actual violence breaking out.
He explained that many conservatives see the verdict as “an example of political persecution spearheaded by the Democrats.” As a result, many supporters are lashing out at the justice system and New York, and the professor fears it will soon escalate to physical violence. Dr. Landman told the outlet, “It is not unreasonable to expect a backlash that involves violence, particularly against some of the protagonists in the Manhattan trial. Targeted violence, in the first instance, could lead to a wider conflagration across the United States involving highly polarized actors. My sincere hope is that this is not the case.”
Dr. Landman points out that New York could become a target for conservatives. While some have called for a boycott of the state, others recently started gathering outside Trump Tower. With tensions running so high, the threat of violence breaking out amid these gatherings remains a major concern. Even if it doesn’t break out now, one must ask what happens if Trump loses the upcoming presidential election? Conservatives are threatening to wage war on their fellow innocent citizens because a criminal was convicted of his crimes. They are clearly starting to crack under their losses, and it seems very plausible another loss will push them over the edge.
As much as we’d like to believe the conservatives threatening violence are all talk, the January 6 riots and comments from political experts demonstrate that we have to take them seriously. Meanwhile, there’s no end in sight to the country living in fear of violence anytime it relies on its electoral and justice system, as even a convicted criminal whose followers threaten the government and innocent American citizens is somehow still allowed to run for president in the upcoming election.
Published: May 31, 2024 02:38 pm