By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire
Having already been convicted of 34 felony charges this year, facing nearly 60 other felonies, and found responsible for sexual assault, new details have emerged about the twice-impeached and four-times indicted former President Donald Trump’s extreme and violent rhetoric, and the retribution he will seek if elected again. Two former senior aides have revealed that Trump discussed executing Americans, including his staff, for disobedience. With Trump declaring that he’ll be a “dictator on Day 1,” the revelations provide more insight into the authoritarian wrath a second MAGA presidency would unleash on America.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, Trump’s former Communications Director, confirmed in an interview with Mediaite that Trump had explicitly talked about executing staff members who leaked stories. Griffin corroborated an account by former Attorney General Bill Barr about Trump’s alarming reactions. “Kaitlan Collins at CNN interviewed Bill Barr and asked about an anecdote I had shared about a meeting he and I were both in, in the Oval Office, where Trump straight-up said a staffer who leaked a story should be executed,” Griffin said on Mediaite’s “Press Club” podcast. “And Bill Barr kind of danced around it and said, ‘I don’t recall that specific instance,’ but there were others where he talked about executing people,” she continued. “How [do] you rationalize that that is a person fit in sound judgment to be president of the United States?”
Griffin, who resigned days before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and later demanded Trump’s resignation, also noted that Trump made such statements in front of “a dozen other” people. While not explicitly confirming the specific incident, Barr did not dispute the possibility, telling Collins in April, “I remember him being very mad. … I actually don’t remember him saying ‘executing,’ but I wouldn’t dispute it.” The accounts contribute to a disturbing pattern of behavior by Trump, who has a history of using violent rhetoric and expressing admiration for violent acts. He has praised the rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6 as “warriors” and “hostages” and warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses the 2024 election.
Trump has suggested the execution of Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley. During his 2016 campaign, he encouraged supporters to “knock the crap out” of protestors, promising to pay their legal bills. He also infamously commented that there was “blame on both sides” after violent clashes in Charlottesville involving white nationalists and neo-Nazis and praised a Republican who attacked a reporter, saying, “Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type!”. At a debate, Trump refused to condemn white supremacist violence, telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” Before the Capitol riot on January 6, he told his supporters, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness … If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
He has also suggested violence could erupt if court cases against him do not go his way, repeatedly expressed a desire to be a dictator, and dehumanized political opponents and migrants. Biden-Harris 2024 spokesperson James Singer released a statement condemning Trump’s rhetoric and behavior in response to these revelations. “Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felonies, was found liable for sexual assault, committed financial fraud, and is only out for himself,” Singer noted. “His own former senior staff, including his former vice president, believe he is too unhinged and dangerous to be our commander in chief. He openly mused about committing murder on Fifth Avenue eight years ago and, since then, has repeatedly embraced and encouraged violence to get what he wants. After losing the last election by over 7 million votes and becoming a convicted felon, Donald has only gotten worse, promising to be a dictator and encouraging violence while completely consumed by his revenge and retribution.”
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