Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Last week, at JD Vance’s first rally as GOP vice presidential nominee, Ohio State Senator George Lang declared that the Civil War be necessary if former President Donald Trump does not win the 2024 presidential election.
“I wholeheartedly believe that Donald Trump and JD Vance of Butler County are the last chance to save our country politically. I’m afraid if we lose this one, it will take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved,” Lang said, as the crowd erupted in loud applause.
Three days later, Lang apologized on X, saying the statement “did not accurately represent his views.” But while the Ohio lawmaker’s statement may not represent his views, it certainly appears to represent those of other Trump supporters.
Since the start of the campaign for the 2024 race, several MAGA loyalists have openly advocated for political violence in the event the real estate mogul loses the race.
“The right to have your vote counted and your voice heard in free and fair elections is at the heart of our democracy, but Donald Trump and his allies are deliberately working to undermine this right,” said Abhi Rahman of the Democratic National Committee . “Donald Trump and his far-right allies do and say everything they can to gain power.”
As my colleague David Corn has extensively explained, “stochastic terrorism” is a key part of the Trump playbook, with the ex-president openly encouraging his supporters to commit acts of violence in his name. Corn writes:
Stochastic terrorism is more indirect and perhaps more effective: it involves targeting an adversary in an unstable situation – perhaps suggesting that the world would be safer without this supposed threat – knowing that this could lead to violence against that target . This is an indirect incentive, getting someone else to do the dirty work.
Trump is a master at this. After all, he incited thousands of his followers to storm the Capitol and attempt to prevent Congress’ certification of his defeat by Joe Biden. In recent days, he has unleashed his stochastic terrorist machine. For a Rosh Hashanah message job on social media earlier this month, Trump denounced “liberal Jews”: “Just a quick reminder for the liberal Jews who voted to destroy America and Israel because you believed false narratives! Hopefully you learned from your mistake and will make better choices in the future! »
And if these politicians, pundits, and podcast hosts are to be believed, they’re more than willing to take drastic action if the ex-president doesn’t win in November.
Shelby Busch, Arizona Chairman of the Republican National Convention
In June, a video surfaced revealing Arizona RNC chairwoman Shelby Busch saying she was going to lynch Stephen Richer, a fellow Republican who helped oversee the 2020 presidential election in Georgia’s Maricopa County.
“Suppose this gentleman here runs for county recorder,” Busch said, according to the Washington Post. “And he’s a good Christian who believes what we believe.” We can work with that, right? That’s unity.
She continued: “But if Stephen Richer walked into this room, I would lynch him. I do not unite with people who do not believe in the principles in which we believe and in the American cause that founded this country. And so, I want to make that clear when we talk about what it means to unify.
Georgia State Senator Colton Moore
In August of last year, State Senator Colton Moore, who was forbidden of the House in March for calling another lawmaker “corrupt” in a speech, suggested a civil war would break out if Trump was not re-elected.
“Do you want a civil war? I don’t want civil war. said Moore in a video. “I don’t want to have to draw my gun. I want to make this problem go away through my legislative means to do so.
Kandiss Taylor, host Jesus, guns and babies
Right-wing podcast host Kandiss Taylor has been on board the Trump Train for some time. In 2022, after losing the Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary to Brian Kemp by 70 points, she refused to concede the results, following in Trump’s footsteps. So it’s no surprise that she said, in 2023, that her camp was prepared to “use weapons” against Trump’s perceived enemies.
“This is war, and I hope and pray that it will be resolved before we use weapons…we are at war right now, a war for our freedom,” Taylor said during a podcast in 2023.
Michigan State Representative Matt Maddock
In August 2023, Michigan State Representative Matt Maddock was filmed saying that Democrats’ opponents would “shoot someone” and that the country would descend into civil war if the government continues to accuse Trump supporters of election crimes.
“The goal is communism, right? Maddock said at a fundraiser at his Michigan home, according to the Michigan Advancement. “Or Marxism, the dream of the Democrats, right? But what will happen before that? Someone is going to be so angry that they’re going to shoot someone.
Maddock continued: “That’s what’s going to happen. Or we’re going to have a civil war or some kind of revolution. This is where it happens. And when that happens, we will be crushed. The people here will be the first to leave. »
He then compared the prosecution of January 6 protesters to the Nazis. leading Jews in the gas chambers during the Holocaust.
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson
The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is known for his wild statementsbut this one takes the cake. On June 30, Robinson went on a rant about the “bad guys” on the left, concluding his speech by appearing to endorse lethal force against those who oppose him.
“Some people need to be killed!” » Robinson said: according to the New Republic. “It’s time someone said it.” It’s not about revenge. It’s not about being mean or mean. It’s a question of necessity!
Correction, July 27: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote about a “second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it.” This was stated by the President of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts.