Trump's Mean Attacks on Media Suddenly Become More Dangerous!

Donald Trump posted a video of a man raging and cursing uncontrollably at MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough outside what appears to be an airport in New York. This generated a flurry of attention on social media, with some pointing out that Trump’s fury at Scarborough has a history dating back to the Morning Joe host’s public turning against Trump, which includes Trump falsely suggesting Scarborough murdered a young congressional intern.

Scarborough and the whole Morning Joe crew have been stern Trump critics for years, but the video’s declaration that if Trump wins the presidency, “liberals” are “done” is the focus here. The man in the video crudely states that Trump will “get rid of all you fucking liberals.” By posting this video, Trump appears to be endorsing that sentiment not only about Scarborough but about liberals generally.

This incident should be big news. It’s not just about one man’s anger at Scarborough but Trump’s elevation of that anger. Trump’s recent threats to scrutinize news organizations, persecute his political foes, and prosecute a range of enemies without cause are part of this context. His actions suggest that liberals should feel threatened en masse by a second Trump term.

Despite the severity of this message, the video has garnered almost no headlines, and few top-shelf pundits have criticized it. This lack of context allows Trump’s underlying intent to evade scrutiny. The central rationale of Trump’s presidential run is the threat to use state power to target a large class of Americans designated as enemies of Trump and his MAGA movement.

Trump’s threat to “investigate” the media exists in a concrete program, with Trump loyalists openly discussing prosecuting media figures expected to serve in a second Trump administration. Trump has also vowed to prosecute a range of actors in response to his criminal charges, threatening retribution untethered to the rule of law.

Trump’s threats also apply to ideological enemies beyond the media. He has vowed to root out “vermin” and prosecute a whole range of actors. The Washington Post reported that Trump told donors he would have student demonstrators not just arrested but expelled from the United States. This rhetoric signals to many Trump supporters that he intends to use state power to eliminate liberals.

Leading journalists and pundits often try to explain Trump support by pointing to elite liberal failings, but this explanation overlooks that some Trump supporters may back him precisely because of his threats to unleash punishment on large groups of Americans. Trump’s threats to disregard election results, target the “vermin,” and prosecute those in the justice system show contempt for the political aspirations of millions of Americans.

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When Trump shares a video celebrating the idea that a second term will result in “blowjob liberals” being “done” and “gone,” he is endorsing that sentiment. Enough of the MAGA sanitization; it’s time to acknowledge that some Trump supporters are driven by these threats and promises.