Daniel Dale reports at the Toronto Star:
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued what seems to be a warning of armed pushback against his political opponents, telling a right-wing website on Monday that “it would be very bad, very bad” if his supporters in the military, police and a motorcycle group were provoked into getting “tough.”
Trump uttered the remark in an interview with Breitbart News, a right-wing website that supports him. It came, according to Breitbart, as Trump was arguing that “the left” plays politics in a “tougher” and more “vicious” manner than the pro-Trump right even though “the tough people” are on Trump’s side.
Trump to Breitbart on how the left plays tough: “I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point and then it would be very bad, very bad.”
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 14, 2019
This is how an authoritarian talks. Happening right in front of us. https://t.co/7VK8ZUS6fF
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) March 14, 2019
In which the president of the United States threatens street violence against his political opponents.
What happens if Trump loses in 2020? Is that the “certain point?” https://t.co/c6srAAeesh
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) March 14, 2019
We can’t sugarcoat this.
The President of the United States is encouraging the military, police, and bikers to violently attack his critics on the left. https://t.co/UdP9EcxjPy
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) March 14, 2019