TRUMP & THE NATION'S EVANGELICALS

…Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, was one of many evangelical leaders to visit Trump’s White House

President Trump warned of “violence” if Democrats retake the House.

It is becoming obvious just how concerned the president is about a possible “blue wave” of Democratic voters in the November mid-terms.  I say this because in a closed-door meeting at the White House with evangelical leaders, President Trump warned of “violence” from the left if Democrats retake control of Congress in November.

His exact words were: “They will overturn everything that we’ve done, and they’ll do it quickly and violently,” Trump told the assembled Christian leaders at the White House dinner, according to NBC News and the New York Times. “There’s violence. When you look at Antifa, and you look at some of these groups… these are violent people.”

For those of you that have never heard of the term “Antifa”, here is the explanation: “The Antifa movement is a conglomeration of left wing autonomous, self-styled anti-fascist militant groups in the United States. The principal feature of Antifa groups is their use of direct action, harassing those whom they identify as fascists, racists or right wing extremists.  Conflicts are both online and in real life.

They (Antifa) engage in violent protest tactics, which has included property damage and physical violence. They tend to be anti-capitalist and they are predominantly far-left and militant left, which includes anarchists, communists and socialists. Their stated focus is on fighting far-right and white supremacist ideologies directly, rather than doing it politically.”

According to the president, he is trying to convince his voting base that the majority of voting Democrats fall into the definition of Antifa, which in reality is a very minute number of extreme leftists. It was Black-clad “Antifa,” protesters that made headlines last year when they attacked another group of demonstrators in Berkeley, Calif.

The House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) denounced the violence at the time, saying in a statement that “the violent actions of people calling themselves Antifa in Berkeley this weekend deserve unequivocal condemnation, and the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.”

Trump’s comments mark an escalation of his rhetoric, and they come as the investigations into the president’s associates widens, and as the midterm battle is entering its crucial final months.

At this dinner with the Christian leaders, Trump described the November election in dire terms.  It was highlighting just how worried he is about his presidency.  If the Democrats do take over the House, he will be hit with many subpoenas and could easily be considered for impeachment, and he knows it.

“You’re one election away from losing everything that you’ve got,” Trump told the evangelicals attendees.

So, here’s what the evangelicals need to know about Donald Trump and violence:

·       During the 2016 campaign, Trump himself appeared to encourage violence in remarks at some of his rallies. After one protester interrupted a Trump speech in Las Vegas in February 2016, the candidate declared: “I’d like to punch him in the face, I tell you.”

·       In Iowa, a protester lobbed a tomato at the stage and Trump told the crowd, “If you see somebody with a tomato, knock the crap out of them.”

·       At a rally in Michigan, Trump told audience members he would cover their legal costs if they were sued for any violence against protesters. “Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do, I’ll defend you in court, don’t worry about it,” Trump said.

·       White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders falsely said last year that Trump “in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence.”

Trump also erroneously claimed at the evangelical meeting that he had done away with the Johnson Amendment, which he described the Amendment to the evangelical leaders as a “disaster for you”.

The Johnson Amendment provision bars religious institutions and other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates.  While Trump did sign an executive order aimed at making it easier for churches to take part in politics, it would take an act of Congress to actually repeal the Johnson Amendment itself.

To show just how worried Trump is, this president is now going after trying to regulate Google, Facebook and Twitter as being biased against him and the right wing.

I continue to wonder how this lying president can even sleep at night.

Copyright G.Ater  2018