Is Donald Trump Spreading Mis-Information Before the Midterm Elections?

This is only my opinion and not the representation of Saintel Daily, L.L.P.

During a private meeting with Christian ministers, Donald Trump warned of violence if Republicans aren’t able to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections. What does that even mean?  It could mean that he’s wanting Christian ministers to use their power to influence their congregations against violence if that’s what they’re thinking.  But no – he’s urging these religious leaders to ensure that everyone votes.  He went on to say “you’re one election away from losing everything you’ve got”.  Again, what does that even mean? On one hand, it shows that Trump realizes that his time as president might be coming to an end, but on the other hand, what has he given this group of people that it will all be taken away?  Oh wait, he’s taken away rights of people. So there’s that.

Trump also noted: If Republicans lose Congress, “they will end everything immediately. 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.”

Sounds like Trump is spreading some fake news. Where is he getting the impression that these groups of people will be violent?  If anything, we’ve seen Republican groups get violent during protests.  But Trump doesn’t make it clear who he’s talking about.  A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request to clarify whether the president was referring to congressional Democrats as “violent people”, or to comment on what connection the president was alleging between establishment Democratic lawmakers and young anti-fascist protesters.

And why would they? This isn’t even real.  He’s literally just saying things that don’t make any sense in an attempt to fear-monger people into voting for him.  No one can know what the world will be like if the Democrats take back Congress.  Just like no one knew what the world would be like with Donald Trump as president.  Well, Vladimir Putin knew, but the rest of us didn’t realize it would be like this.

Here’s what’s funny though.  Trump’s comments appear to echo the rhetoric of political advertisements from, get this, the National Rifle Association.  That’s irony, isn’t it?  In a much-criticized video advertisement last year, the gun rights group used footage from street protests to paint the entire American left, and all Americans who oppose president Trump, as violent thugs who “bully and terrorize the law-abiding”.

The group I mentioned above – antifa – is a group of anti-fascist protesters.  They’ve shown up to demonstrate against the white supremacists.  But many of the rightwing groups believe that antifa is actually a group of people who are self-described fascists.  The protest behavior of “antifa” has become a favorite topic for Republicans looking to deflect attention from the activities of violent white supremacist extremists who greeted Trump’s presidency as a victory, and who advocate publicly for a whites-only nation.

You might remember that during the violent neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, last August, white supremacists attacked black residents and protesting local ministers, and clashed with anti-fascist protesters in the streets. Afterward, Trump repeatedly condemned “both sides” for the violence. Again, it’s unknown who Trump was referring to, or even it was antifa.  Regardless, though, he’s attempting to spread misinformation ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, becuase if he doesn’t, the Democrats will likely win.