During a recent speech at an evangelical church, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — the state's 2024 GOP gubernatorial nominee and a Donald Trump ally — openly advocated violence against his political foes.
The far-right Christian nationalist and MAGA Republican told the crowd, "Some folks need killing…. It's not a matter of vengeance. It's a matter of necessity."
In a disturbing article published by Salon on July 10, former federal prosecutor Dennis Aftergut warns that Robinson's "violent" rhetoric shouldn't be viewed as an anomaly, but as an example of what the MAGA movement is capable of.
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"This is the ugly permission slip for violent speech and action that Donald Trump has issued in America," Aftergut explains. "Extreme right politicians out-MAGA one another for attention from the base. Such horror-laden escalations will not stop if Trump is elected."
Aftergut continues, "The history of 20th-Century totalitarianism shows that despots accelerate intimidation and savagery. Their threats become official government policy. While MAGAworld has long told us where this is heading if we elect Trump, some in the non-MAGAworld who have been sleepwalking are finally waking up."
Aftergut stresses that Robinson is hardly the only MAGA Republican who is promoting violence.
During an early July appearance on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said, "We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be."
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The Heritage Foundation is the creator of Project 2025, described by Aftergut as a "roadmap to a post-constitutional nation under a second Trump presidency."
"In truth, it’s all of our rights on the ballot," Aftergut warns. "So, remind others of Trump's expressed wish to terminate the Constitution, to be dictator on Day One, or that generals like Mark Milley, retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, be executed for reassuring China about America's stability after January 6."
The former federal prosecutor continues, "The menacing statement about Milley sounds a lot like Robinson's, 'Some folks need to be killed'…. The iconic 1992 campaign meme of James Carville — 'It's the economy, stupid!' — requires reframing today: 'It's our freedom, America!'"
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Dennis Aftergut's full article for Salon is available at this link.