Trump does not dismiss the possibility of more political violence if he loses election
Donald Trump has refused to dismiss the possibility of more political violence, should he fail to win the upcoming presidential election in November.
The former president said that the response from his supporters “depends on the fairness of the election,” after having falsely claimed on multiple occasions that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.
No evidence was ever presented to support those claims, which were rejected by judges across the country in the wake of Joe Biden’s victory.
In an interview with Time Magazine, he was asked directly about the possibility of further political violence, should he fail to reclaim the White House later this year. He did not reject the idea.
“If we don’t win, you know, it depends,” he told the outlet. “It always depends on the fairness of the election.”
When asked about his claims on Truth Social that a stolen election “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Mr Trump denied that he had said it.
According to the FBI, more than 1,385 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 (Getty)
He went on to complain about the “Biden-inspired” court case he currently faces in New York and suggested that the “fascists” in the US government were its greatest threat.
“I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others,” he told Time.
On 6 January 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters, riled up by rhetoric delivered by him just hours before, stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC.
The insurrection saw the deaths of several people, including Ashli Babbitt who was fatally shot by law enforcement. Officials say that 174 police officers were also injured in the violence, with four officers dying by suicide following the attack.
The offices of prominent officials including then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were broken into, causing many other lawmakers, including MrTrump’s vice president, Mike Pence, to take shelter.
Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (AFP via Getty Images)
According to the FBI, in the 39 months since the event, more than 1,385 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the insurrection. Nearly 500 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.
Mr Trump now faces a litany of charges related to an alleged attempt to overthrow the 2020 election.
These include a four-count federal indictment in Washington DC, which alleges the former president and his allies knew they lost the election but sought to cling to power anyway. Along with 18 of his allies, he faces similar charges in Georgia, where he is accused of conspiring to subvert the state’s 2020 presidential election results.
Currently sat in a Manhattan court facing separate criminal charges over alleged “hush money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, he has continued to fire off incendiary rhetoric on his social media platform Truth Social about a “plot” by the Biden administration to keep him from campaigning for the presidency.
On Tuesday he was fined $9,000 for violating a gag order that prevented him from attacking key witnesses in the criminal case.
Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court, where he is facing criminal charges related to alleged hush money payments to an adult film star (AP)
The FBI investigation into the 6 January insurrection remains ongoing, with arrests and sentences ongoing across the country.
Last Tuesday, a North Carolina man was sentenced to 72 months in prison, and 36 months of supervised release, for assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his conduct during the breach of the Capitol.
Another man, from New Orleans, was arrested on misdemeanour charges related to his conduct during the breach, on Thursday, according to the FBI.
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