In an escalation of his violent threats, Donald Trump has now suggested a top critic from his own party, Republican former U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, faces a gun. Outrage from the left was swift, and Cheney herself has responded.
"I don't blame him for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter is a very dumb individual, very dumb," said Trump, speaking about former U.S. Vice President and Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, and his daughter, Liz Cheney.
"She's a radical war hawk," Trump continued, speaking on stage in Arizona with far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson, who labeled Cheney "repulsive."
"Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrel shooting at her, okay? Let's see how she feels about it," Trump said, in what some, including the Drudge Report say is a call for Cheney's "execution."
Trump was apparently suggesting that Cheney should be put in the situation that soldiers potentially face in war, though many critics considered his statement as saying she should be executed.
CNN anchor Kasie Hunt Friday morning noted that "violent rhetoric is not new for Trump, but this stark imagery represents an escalation at a tense moment when the country is on edge heading into Tuesday, seven and ten Americans saying they feel anxious or frustrated about the election, according to a new AP poll."
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"It comes after Trump has raised the specter of using the U.S. military on Americans he calls 'the enemy within,'" she added. "Throughout the last nearly 10 years with Trump on the national stage, the public rhetoric has gotten darker and more violent with time."
"This is the final battle, he says," Hunt continued. "He's talking about the election happening four days from now."
Liz Cheney, who also served as the Vice Chair on the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, wrote: "This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant."
Former Trump White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci responded to his former boss's attack on Cheney: "Trump should be taken into custody. He is a convicted felon and just violated the conditions of his bail agreement by threatening someone’s life. He needs to be sent away."
Constitutional law professor and political scientist Anthony Michael Kreis remarked: "This is not the rule of the law. This is not respect for our constitution. This is fascism."
Sarah Longwell, a Republican and publisher of The Bulwark, wrote: "If you claim to be a leader in any way—political leader, thought-leader, business leader, religious leader—and you don’t stand up and say clearly that America must keep this man away from power, then you’re no kind of leader at all."
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David Rothkopf, a foreign policy, national security and political affairs analyst and commentator, offered a wider view:
"Trump is his own October surprise: The Kelly/Milley revelations, the hate rally, the 'whether women want it or not' comments, the garbage truck self-own, planning to turn health care over to a lunatic, violent musings about Liz Cheney and so much more. He is self-destructing."
Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) issued a statement, saying in part: "Declaring that a person should be shot and killed simply for supporting a different candidate is un-American. Any Republican who claims to respect the constitution and rule of law has a responsibility to speak out against Donald Trump's dangerous comments immediately. My family holds this country close to our hearts. I was shot and nearly killed for serving the people of Arizona. My husband has dedicated his life in service as a Navy pilot and astronaut who continues to serve his country in the Senate. Those who serve this country know that truly loving America requires opposing all forms of political violence."
The Harris campaign weighed in, with spokesperson Ian Sams calling Trump's remarks "dangerous, violent rhetoric," and saying, "You have Donald Trump talking about sending a prominent Republican to the firing squad. And you have VP Harris talking about sending one to her Cabinet."
Watch the video of Trump's remarks below, additional videos above, or all at this link.
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