Trump calls on supporters to 'guard the vote' in Democratic-run US cities
Speaking at a campaign event in Iowa, Trump said it was important to scrutinize the vote in the battleground states likely to determine the general election. He singled out the biggest cities in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
"So the most important part of what's coming up is to guard the vote. And you should go into Detroit and you should go into Philadelphia and you should go into some of these places, Atlanta," Trump said in Ankeny, a suburb of Des Moines.
Trump's comments foreshadow what is likely to be a contentious election in November 2024. Despite the failure of dozens of lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies challenging the outcome in 2020, Trump continues to claim, without evidence, that he lost to U.S. President Joe Biden due to fraud.
Trump is going to get a bunch of his followers killed.
One can only hope...
Edit: I feel compelled to make it clear that I don't want anyone to die due to political violence. However, if someone has to die I would prefer it be those who seem hell-bent on undermining the democratic process.
It’s sad that I knew what you meant before reading your edit. Like we all know that this next election will result in violence. We can all only hope that it’s against the right people..
Probably. But for every Trump fascist getting arrested or making a video "patrolling" a ballot box drop-off, for every fascist getting killed, those are huge news stories that will make voters reconsider if it's even safe to vote. It'll have a massive chilling effect on voters who aren't obvious Trump supporters. Which is the point: fear.
Should their vote count if they voted early, but die before their vote counted?
Yes, they should be. But it depends on the state. That's specifically for mail-in ballots.
Makes sense.
At least they'll be dead.
So, voter intimidation. They want people to be afraid to even show up.
What a funny thing to do right after a judge announces he does NOT have immunity.
Actions speak louder than words. I'll believe it when he actually has to face consequences.
To everyone who called Trump a Nazi seven years ago, I owe you all an apology for dismissing your concerns as hyperbole, because I legitimately thought this guy was saying outrageous shit just to rile up the Republican crowd and clinch the Republican nomination against all odds.
After what happened with Jan 6th, it seems Donald is hell-bent on usurping democracy and bringing about the Fourth Reich, and now I'm seriously worried that America is going to sleepwalk straight into Fascism.
2021 should have been a wake-up call.
And with all you said, and the evidence we have of Trump being a fascist, people will still not vote Biden as a "symbolic act". We may have a hellish few years coming ahead of us.
A good chunk of the accounts I see posting those comments are probably bots judging by their post histories. You'd either have to be in favor of a fascist dictatorship or willfully ignorant at this point not to vote for Biden. I don't like Biden or most of the Democrats, but Republicans have done little to nothing for Americans that are not rich. At least with Democrats there's a sliver of a chance with future generations that we'll get more than a shitty two party system, with Republicans now there won't be anything but regression and fear mongering.
I have talked to too many people on here, reddit, and in person to know there is a significant amount of people thinking and advocating for this. It is going to be 2016 Hilary again.
Here are 5 reasons why people don't vote. None of these are "a symbolic act".
I am referring to all the individuals who are saying they won't vote for Biden in the next election as a protest vote. People would can or have voted for him in past, or in an election. I am not talking about disenfranchised individuals but people privileged enough to throw their vote, and countery, away.
I am making the argument America will be much worst if Republicans take helm. The chances of not being able to vote again is way too high. If people really care about Palestinian people and not virtue signaling, then they will agree that Trump or any Republican would make it worse.
I have never, ever heard anyone say this, though. Who is saying this?
Well, Biden got the "not-Trump" vote last time but he's shat the bed with the Israel thing.
He's still got my "not-Trump" vote. I don't particularly like him or how well he has performed, but considering the alternative? It's no contest for me.
Do you really think a fascist like Trump will do better for the Palestinian people?
Fascism and dictatorships are not good for business. International trading partners won't want anything to do with businesses located in the United States if this happens. A democracy provides a trustable and reassuring legal framework to ensure stability of contracts. International complaints are not going to be upheld under a Trump government.
This is why everyone knows you don't do business with China.
Although if you have to have a dictator I suppose Donald Trump is probably the best dictator since he and his staff are regularly outwit by squirrels and things found growing under stones.
damn Poe's law, I can't tell if your serious and stupid or just making a joke.
as I'm sitting here, with my phone made in Chinese sweatshops
*you're
when calling other people stupid, it is best to know basic grammar. Just a tip!
Like capitalization of 'When'? :D
Aside from that, fully support your point.
I never called him an idiot, so my grammar can be as poor as I like.
so, I am going to conclude that you think echo dot's take is a real argument and even support said stance.
so why, if you look at reality, are authoritarian shitholes always the darlings of corporations.
oh I don't care about that, I just thought you looked like you needed the help
Really? That must be news to the thousands of US companies who do business with China all the time.
I don't think that this is really true at all.
It may pose additional risks for small businesses but that's not so for multinationals. looking to exploit populations, resources, or markets.
Sounds like he's hoping thugs will show up and scare some people into not voting in states he'd probably have lost?
It's "sounds like he's hoping" they will the same way he was "hoping" they would assault the Capitol. He told them to do it in thinly veiled language.
"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome democracy?"
He makes highly non-committal statements like a mafia godfather.
At best. At worst, he's advocating for violence against anyone who might vote for Biden.
I think its more heckling poll station workers and brown people, but yeah.
Right people make fun but this is a longer term strategy to make the poll workers quit so they can be replaced with actual fascists who will actually shred ballots of anyone who looks too Democrat.
THIS^ This is the real reason for them to flood the polling places - he who counts the votes determines the winner
I don't really understand how the US voting system works. But if enough people in states he would have lost decide "Fuck it, not worth the risk of going out to vote", even if that includes people who would have voted for him, would that benefit him? Reducing voter turnout across the board in states he'd have lost? Legit curious if that might be his goal or if that makes no sense.
People who vote for Trump won't be afraid because they know the scary people are on their side.
When fewer people vote, Republicans tend to win. They've even outright admitted this at times. This is why so many Republicans are in favor of enacting rules that limit voter participation. If the Republicans can prevent enough people from exercising their right to vote, then they might win. If too many legal voters cast their ballots, the Democrats will win - and that can't be allowed!
Republicans won't stay home out of fear. They're the ones with the bulk of the guns anyways and seems a large body of them are itching for a manufactured reason to use them.
'i WaS gUaRdInG tHe VoTe'
So it's allowed to harass people who want to vote, but not allowed to hand out water to people who are in line waiting to vote?
Well yes, because the wrong people are voting and getting water. (/s though it shouldn't be needed).
I assume people got in trouble for handing out water, then?
It was a law Georgia added after Trump lost. Part of the "election integrity" things they were doing. People can literally wait hours in line at some voting locations. If they legislated that each precinct was required to regularly give out water to those in line, then it wouldn't have been so bad. I believe it was a bad faith change.
To this day, Trump claims that he actually won in New York and California, among other safe blue states. Fit the record, the last time NY went red was 1984 and the last time California went red was 1988.
Trump's convinced that there was "voter fraud" that turned those states blue, when they've been blue for over 30 years. He thinks that, if you removed all the "voter fraud," he really won in every state.
My guess is that he thinks voting for a Democrat is voter fraud and wants his violent mobs to make sure no "voter fraud" takes place. If he's elected President, I fear that we'll still have elections, but in the way Russia holds elections. "Do you want to vote for Trump or do you want to be sent to prison?"
The Russian style election‽
Exactly. We'd still have "elections" to "prove that we're still free," but it would be just for show. Even if you somehow didn't face consequences for voting against Trump, your vote would be tossed for being voter fraud. (Because all votes against Trump would be called fraudulent.)
It's not that simple. Swing states have a divide between cities and rural counties. If you scare enough voters away in cities, those swing states become easier to win. It has nothing to do with the states he will lose, and everything to do with the ones he needs to win.
Problem here is people in cities don't scare easily. If a rural mob of ppl comes rolling through my city policing the polls, its going to cause a huge shitshow but it won't keep anyone from voting. Hell, it might drive turnout among some that were planning on not voting out of apathy. We city folk fight back. Trump sends his brownshirts here, they'll get bloody noses at the very least.
4 years, no credible evidence (outside of the handful of republicans that were caught interfering with elections/ballot mail).
When lying, cheating and stealing doesn’t work resorting to violence is the natural progression. The whole world saw this play out on January 6th.
Someone else did it waaaaay earlier, and it didn't end too well for them. The second attempt caused some chaos though. The world still brings it up from time to time, but Republican voters close their eyes to history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Hall_Putsch
Good thing in Colorado my ballot is sent directly to my mailbox and I can send it out directly from my mailbox. This is done for every citizen no questions asked by default.
If only we didn't need more states than Colorado to keep Trump out of office...
Consider using a dropbox- that's more secure in chain-of-custody terms.
I'd rather not be shot: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-calls-supporters-guard-vote-democratic-run-us-cities-2023-12-03/
Colorado's ballot tracking helps me feel at ease.
Republicans will never stop trying to steal elections
They know it's the only way they can win long-term.
And there it is.
I’ve been a poll watcher in PA a bunch of times. I welcome any Trumpies to join me. It’s really not that exciting lol
Depends on your state's laws. But peaceful dudes in red caps are not what people are worried about. They are groups of aggressive people, potentially visibly armed, near to polling places or mail-in boxes that will scare voters away. If you have to walk past a line of lifted pick-up trucks, all with huge Trump flags in the backed, filled with angry redcaps with assault rifles, you might rethink voting. Which is the goal of the facists.
Sure, but I’m talking about the legal way we “guard the vote”. It’s incredibly effective and not super exciting.
You think they care about legality? They're a gang.
They are not a gang. They are a cult. It is an important distinction.
Is it? What is a violent cult? What is a gang that worships a single person?
I get what you mean,and agree if I'm being honest. I'm just curious of the distinction at this point!
Or it might make me want to vote against their asshole lord and savior even more resolutely than I already do.
It's a fight or flight response. Not everyone would be willing to fight. Glad you would be though. But if enough intimidation happens, They might just scare away enough people to change the vote.
I'll be there. And I will be armed as well. If it's a bloodbath that ends in my extinction? So be it. I will not stand for such a scenario as you describe.
Struggling to live with myself after 01/06 as is. Give me a chance to fight back? I'm all in.
You're missing the point. Trump's calling on th to show up with guns and intimate minority voters
look, I know, you find annoying them with pictures of fake grand kids amusing... but really... could you at least maybe make the stories more interesting, since, you know. it's gonna be slow...
asking for everyone else.
I think I missed the joke?
you ever get stuck sitting next to a very friendly old lady whose got about thirty pictures of her grand kids, and insists on telling you everything about what happened the day they were taken?
I'm proposing torturing the trumpian poll watchers with such... as a for of entertainment, because poll watching is really boring. Like. watching paint dry boring.
I missed it too, but I think I want to start showing people pics of my "grandkids". Maybe get some hyper realistic ai pics and backstory...
I just want to watch people get confused and try to do the math while also trying to figure out how old I am
Perhaps these people should wear some similiar clothes so we know they're there to "guard the vote". May I suggest some brown shirts?
Or maybe white robes. They can even wear those cute white hoods so we can see them from afar.
the 3 people that didn't die from COVID or go to jail for Jan. 6 related crimes will definitely do that Donny lol.
It's funny to say that and you, of course, deserve credit.
But this is too serious to ignore. The idea of him getting a second term will be the beginning of something truly awful.
Everyone, please vote. The two party system sucks but it's where we're at right now. The US swinging wide right to embrace a grifter can NOT be the answer.
What are they going to do, shoot me?
Edit: I doubt it. These people are pretty stupid. I'm a fat middleclass WASP. I Look like them. They won't bother intimidating me. I'll vote just fine. If I can go in without fear, I will escort my LGBT+ neighbors, black friends, and disabled relatives through those doors to make sure they can vote if they don't vote early.
If they do shoot me? I feel bad for my family, but I don't want to live in a country where I am not able to use the single form of power I have.
Probably and get Rittenhoused innocent verdict after fake crying.
...
Yeah... I think they're dreaming that. So I'm personally concerned.
There's a non-zero number of them that would be willing to shoot you if Trump told them to.
You'll feel bad for your family? How? You'd be dead. And now your family is missing a member. That's your ideal outcome in this scenario? Buddy, just use a mail in ballot.
Trump is setting the stage for Detroit, Philly and Atlanta to become round 2 of the Capitol riot.
Jayzuz. :/
Because he's entirely assured that if the big cities hadn't voted, he would've won literally every state. That's been his assumption since he lost - that the "city liberals" are who was voting against him.
'Guard the vote', here, seems pretty likely to mean go into liberal areas and do what it takes to prevent them from voting
And that's why I vote by mail!
Voter intimidation if nothing else.
Here we go again...
If someone can sit outside Mar-A-Lago and identify who is coming and going, then we need people at polling stations doing the same when Trumplings show up to 'guard' the polls.
No masks. No weapons. Put your ass on the line if you want to follow fascist orders.
But .. they're all gigantic pussies who hate masks except when they love them
We do all our voting on mail in ballots where I live so its actually kind of crazy to think about. Please volunteer for local election work if you have that capacity.
Well, we both know how this ends, with people with guns patrolling up and down polling places with firearms asking a whole bunch of questions, refusing to leave, and only being escorted out by police once the polls close.
Why? Same reason why the police department is suspiciously empty during a klan meeting, the same reason why Bruce Wayne is never in his office during a Batman sighting.
People will be shot at polling places in 2024 because of this.
The chatter in their group chats is already out of control. They want blood and they will have it.
This isn’t just some dipshit spouting off without caring what his words mean. He sees the bloodthirsty calls for violence amongst his supporters, because it’s happening on his channels. This is an intentional, fascistic call for violence from a crowd he knows is willing and ready to do it. People really need to start believing him.
I keep saying this, but if this was 1932 Germany and you knew what you know now, what would you do as a German citizen? That’s not hyperbole. Seriously, please think about it.
I guarantee this, what will happen is people with guns will show up at polling places, they will threaten staff, and they will not be able to get police to get them to leave until it's time for the polls to close. Kind of like how the police just stood there and did nothing when people got into the capital on January 6th, just like how the military was never deployed. The people who are trying to steal power for themselves, are the people who already have power, they just want more
In Atlanta? Detroit? Philly? No I don't think so. Ppl with guns will show up and shit will go down. Hope those chucklefucks are ready.
Quoth the privs, "BuT bIdEn SaMe!"
They can try to intimidate me but this leftist has a CPL.
All cities are democratic run.
I think it’s ‘democrat run’ that you mean.
OP said what they said
Trump can suck my fucking asshole with a side of my balls, and so can his pissing-in-the-gene-pool followers, then he/they can ram my Dem vote down his/their disappointingly small peehole/s.
Wow. I just found what I was missing on Reddit. (New refugee)
The only ones committing such fraud are Republican partisans. If anyone needs their votes guarded it's red state democrats in a post-Roe world.
Dude, wtf this guy
He's getting desperate
Hey democrats, everyone to the left and right of you are arming themselves.
Bold move, Cotton.