Jen Psaki destroyed the impact of her comments on the Trump campaign massacre by providing the full context of what Trump was talking about.
Psaki said on her MSNBC show:
If they want us to consider the entire context, let’s do so because the entire context is that Trump kicked off the exact same rally by saluting the people convicted of the deadly assault on the US Capitol on January 6, all to the tune of of the national anthem sung by a choir of imprisoned insurgents. The full context is that some of the first words out of Trump’s mouth last night, at the same rally, were to thank those rioters and call them patriots. The full context is what he also said at this same rally, quote, if this election isn’t won, I’m not sure there will ever be another election in this country. The full context is that he went on to say that some undocumented immigrants are quotes, not people. And of course, the full context is that this is much bigger than a single speech.
This embrace of political violence, this dehumanizing language. This is what Donald Trump has been preaching for years. In January he warned that there would be bedlam in this country. If his criminal case derailed his campaign late last year. He echoed Adolf Hitler’s dehumanizing language likening his political opponents to parasites and saying immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country last month. He said there would be potential death and destruction if he were charged in the Manhattan criminal investigation. And during his first term, he adamantly refused to condemn political violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying there were very good people on both sides. In 2020, he reportedly asked his defense secretary to shoot people protesting the death of George Floyd by saying: can you just shoot him, just shoot him in the legs or something? And, of course, his own words inspired violence on January 6, 2021, when he told a crowd of his supporters to go to the Capitol and fight like hell because, quote, you will never take back our country with weakness. Believe me, I could go on forever.
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We all know by now that Trump’s illusions about political violence are not simply rhetorical. His supporters take them literally. That’s part of the big problem here. And he knows it too. So no, we haven’t missed the full context. This wasn’t some meandering off-post comment. This is his message.
Video:
Jen Psaki provides the full context of Trump’s bloodbath remark: “We didn’t miss the full context, this wasn’t some roundabout, off-message comment. This is his message.” pic.twitter.com/h3yiHDzKTy
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 17, 2024
The full context is that Trump continues to sell the myth that he is strong, so he emulates the language of authoritarians. It doesn’t matter what Trump was talking about. Democratic leaders do not use violent rhetoric when discussing domestic politics. If Biden had said there would be a bloodbath if his infrastructure legislation didn’t pass.
The Trump campaign’s turn defies common sense and doesn’t add up. Everyone knows what Trump was really talking about. After 1/6 there is no ambiguity. Trump speaks of political violence in the hope that his supporters will take action.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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