Hope they use this at Trump's trial: "Anybody who can do a body-slam, that's my kind of guy!"

[LaMouffette]

As you may remember, Trump said this at a rally in Montana in 2018 in praise of Republican candidate Greg Gianforte, who had body-slammed a reporter from the Guardian:

MISSOULA, Mont. — President Trump praised a Republican candidate’s assault last year on a reporter and fumed over his Democratic opponents here on Thursday night in a freewheeling rally meant to mobilize his base’s support in the coming midterm elections.

In urging the crowd to vote for Representative Greg Gianforte, who is running for re-election and who was sentenced to anger management classes and community service for assaulting a reporter last spring, Mr. Trump jokingly warned the crowd to “never wrestle him.”

“I had heard he body-slammed a reporter,” Mr. Trump said, noting that he was initially concerned that Mr. Gianforte would lose in a special election last May. “I said, ‘Wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well; I think it might help him.’ And it did.”

“Anybody that can do a body-slam,” the president added, “that’s my kind of guy.”

[link:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/us/politics/trump-greg-gianforte-montana.html|

Sadly, this shameful assault did make Gianforte even more popular among Montana Republican voters.

But this provides yet more evidence of Trump's established pattern of encouraging violence, and I hope they use it at Trump's trial.

[StatGirl]

1. I'd like to see a video montage of all of his encouragement of violence

All the times he's incited it, encouraged it, laughed about it, told people he would pay their legal bills, told police to be rough on people. It was a recurrent theme at his rallies, so there has to be lots of evidence.

(Maybe intersperse with his "rigged election" stuff which goes back to 2016, and stuff where he talks about people being "not nice" to him, so that it's clear that he was putting a hit out on Pence.)

And end with his speech to the Capitol mob and clips of what they did when they invaded the Capitol.

I think that would be difficult for even the most vile of Trumpists to rebut. They know that he was doing this. It's telling that their defense is "You can't impeach an ex-president", rather than "He's innocent of the charges".

[LaMouffette]

2. I bet they are working on putting together just such a montage for the trial. And good point

about his telling his supporters he would pay their legal bills. If I were Trump, I would be more afraid of his disenchanted whacko cult followers turning on him than retribution from us sane and peace-loving Democrats.

I could see them seeking revenge once it finally sinks in that they are not immune from Trump's penchant for throwing his loyalists under the bus.

[StatGirl]

4. Well, I wouldn't weep if his supporters turn on him

. . . but it's always been true that they are the real problem, and Trump is merely an opportunist who used them. So nothing is solved there.

Getting back to the video montage, I also remember back during his campaign, some of his supporters inflicted serious damage on a Mexican immigrant. When Trump was asked about this, he said something about his supporters being very passionate (and, of course, refused to denounce them).

It looks as if Frontline has already prepared a documentary called "Trump's American Carnage".

[LaMouffette]

5. Thanks for the info on "Trump's American Carnage"!

I just found it on YouTube. (For some reason, the video wouldn't play for me on the PBS website.)

[link:

|

I wouldn't be sorry, either, if Trump's terrorists bit the hand that's been feeding them bullshit for over four years.

The real problem, I think, is the American oligarchy, the network of ultra-rich individuals and corporations that have scratched and clawed their way to immense wealth and power in this country with complete disregard for workers. Putting profits over people, they worked together to diminish the power of unions and outsourced manufacturing to cheaper labor markets, to the detriment of people who do not have a college education or training in the trades occupations.

Those people are now angry and fearful, but they are barking up the wrong tree. After all, how do you get angry at something so big and abstract as the American oligarchy? They needed a more concrete scapegoat, and Trump gave it to them, several in fact: immigrants, people of color, liberals, Democrats, the media, the Hollywood elite.

Okay, end of rant! I'm going to watch the video now!

[Blue Owl]

3. K&R