“WAR, WAR, WAR!” Chants erupt at pro-Trump event as pastor incites “war for Donald Trump”
Shocking new audio shows that terrifying exultations of pro-Trump violence was a major theme at the American Priorities conference that took place this weekend at President Trump’s Doral golf resort.
Outrage erupted over the weekend after an edited video showing Trump committing a mass shooting against his political enemies and the media was displayed at a “meme exhibit” — but it turns out that was far from the most disturbing aspect of the weekend.
ProPublica and WYNC’s Alice Wilder reports that speakers at the conference urged the attendees to “go to war” for President Trump. “We’ve come to declare war!” shouted Pastor Mark Burns three times to the audience. “Do I have anybody who is ready to go to war for Donald J. Trump, for this nation? I can’t hear you? Anybody? Ready to go to war! Because we’re citizens of the greatest country in the world!” he screamed as the crowd cheered and shouted back “WAR! WAR! WAR!”
Listen for yourself:
Right-wing radio crank Wayne Allen Root, who infamously crowned Trump the “King of Israel,” further fanned the bloodlust by gleefully describing how he would beat the other kids at his predominantly black high school. “[A] kid comes up to me and I knock him unconscious. Second kid, a week later, I knocked his entire front row of teeth out. He’s on the floor going ‘where are my teeth, where are my teeth. My buddies and I were high-fiving and laughing. Man, it was funny.”
Trump has openly glorified violence against his political enemies at his rallies since the run-up to the 2016 election, calling on his fans to beat up protestors and promising to pay their legal bills. As the impeachment inquiry picks up steam, Trump himself has become increasingly hostile and unhinged — and so have his surrogates.
This is downright cultish behavior and potentially treasonous rhetoric that would earn almost anyone else a spot on an FBI watch list. It is far past time we begin considering the whole range of outcomes if Donald Trump should be impeached or lose his election in 2020, because if this is the kind of violent message they’re going to be pushing to for the next year and a half, there could be some very serious consequences.
Original reporting by Alice Wilder at WYNC in conjunction with ProPublica.
