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PBS NewsHour | Trump amplifies violent rhetoric against perceived enemies | Season 2023

AMNA: DONALD TRUMP WAITED ON THE SPEAKER BATTLE TODAY BUT HE DID NOT ENDORSE A MCCARTHY SUCCESSOR.

MR. TRUMP: WE WILL DO WHATEVER IS BEST FOR THE COUNTRY AND FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

AMNA: HE WAS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE COURTHOUSE WHERE THE CIVIL TRIAL ACCUSING HIM OF FRAUD IS UNDERWAY.

THAT TRIAL HAS BECOME A VEHICLE FOR THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND FRONTRUNNER FOR THE GOP NOMINATION TO AMPLIFY VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST HIS PERCEIVED ENEMIES FROM JUDGES TO LEGAL CLERKS AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENTS AND JOINS ME NOW.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

THE JUDGE IS ARTHUR.

HE OPPOSED TO GAG ORDER ON MR. TRUMP YESTERDAY.

WHY?

LAURA: THE JUDGE IMPOSED THIS GAG ORDER VERY QUICKLY ON TRUMP, SAYING HE CANNOT MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT COURT STAFF AND THIS CAME HOURS AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTACKED THAT JUDGE'S PRINCIPAL LAW CLERK INCLUDE SOCIAL.

TRUMP BASELESSLY ACCUSED THE LAW CLERK OF HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER AND ALSO SAID THAT THIS LAW CLERK IS RUNNING THE CASE AGAINST ME AND THEY SHOULD BE DISMISSED IMMEDIATELY.

THIS IS CLEARLY A PATTERN FROM THE FORMER PRESIDENT WHERE HE IS DIRECTLY ATTACKING ANY OFFICIALS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THESE CASES AGAINST HIM.

AMNA: YOU HAVE REPORTED ON THIS OTHER PATTERN BEFORE.

WE HAVE SEEN FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP DIRECTING MOST OF HIS DEROGATORY ATTACKS AGAINST OFFICIALS OF COLOR.

ARE WE SEEING THAT SAME PATTERN AGAIN?

LAURA: HE DID IT JUST THIS WEEK AGAIN WHEN HE WAS IN NEW YORK CITY DIRECTLY ATTACKING NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES WHEN HE WAS THERE FOR THE CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL.

HERE'S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY ABOUT JAMES.

>> WE HAVE A RACIST ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO IS A HORROR SHOW.

THIS IS A DISGRACE.

YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER THIS ATTORNEY GENERAL BECAUSE SHE'S TURNING OFF EVERYBODY FROM COMING IN.

LAURA: THAT IS A PATTERN FROM THE FORMER PRESIDENT, SPECIFICALLY WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT BLACK JURISTS, JUDGES, PROSECUTORS.

HE USES WORDS LIKE "RACIST, ANIMALS, RABBIT, THUGS.

-- RABID, THUGS."

AMNA: TELL US ABOUT THAT.

LAURA: VIOLENT RHETORIC IS A FEATURE, NOT A BUG, OF TRUMP'S CAMPAIGNING STYLE.

IT GOES BACK TO 2016 WHEN HE USED TO USE A LOT OF VIOLENT RHETORIC DURING HIS CAMPAIGN BUT RECENTLY, THERE HAS BEEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS, AND INCREASE SO IF WE BREAK IT DOWN, ON SEPTEMBER 22, TRUMP SUGGESTED THAT THE FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS SHOULD BE EXECUTED.

SEPTEMBER 29, HE MOCKS THE ASSAULT ON PAUL PELOSI THAT WAS A VIOLENT POLITICAL ATTACK.

HE CALLS FOR SHOPLIFTERS TO BE SHOT ON SITE.

YOU WILL REMEMBER HE SAID IN 2020 WHEN THE LOOTING SHORTS, THE SHOOTING STARTS.

ON OCTOBER 3, HE SAID, WHICH WAS JUST YESTERDAY, WHEN SPEAKING TO RIGHT WING MEDIA, HE SAID MIGRANTS ARE "POISONING THE BLOOD OF OUR COUNTRY.

I CHECKED WITH AN HISTORIAN, AND SHE SAID THAT THAT LANGUAGE THAT HE'S USING, TALKING ABOUT MIGRANTS, ECHOES LANGUAGE USED IN NAZI PROPAGANDA BY ADOLF HITLER WHEN ADOLF HITLER ACTUALLY SAID THAT JEWISH PEOPLE AND MIGRANTS WERE "CAUSING A BLOOD POISONING."

GERMANY.

AMNA: THIS IS LANGUAGE WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE.

IT IS OFTEN DISMISSED AND CATEGORIZED AS ERRATIC.

OVER TIME, SOME HAVE BECOME NUMB TO IT BECAUSE IT IS WHAT WE HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE RHETORIC AND ITS IMPACT, WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU ABOUT WHY IT MATTERS?

LAURA: ALL THE EXPERTS I TALKED TO ABOUT EXTREMISM AS WELL AS HISTORIANS SAY THIS RHETORIC DIRECTLY LEADS TO VIOLENCE.

JANUARY 6 WAS OF COURSE THE MOST - - IT WAS THE LARGEST EVENT THAT WE SAW IN TERMS OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S LANGUAGE INCITING PEOPLE TO GO TO THE CAPITOL AND STORM IT.

DEATH THREATS AGAINST THE BLIND JUDGE OVERSEEING THE JANUARY 6 FEDERAL CASE, THOSE DEATHS THREATS LED TO -- DEATH THREATS LED TO ARRESTS.

THE FBI OHIO OFFICE SHORTLY AFTER TRUMP'S MAR-A-LAGO RESORT WAS RATED.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL EXTREMISM EXPERTS I TALKED TO SAY THIS NOT ONLY NORMALIZES VIOLENT RHETORIC BUT ALSO ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE.

AMNA: WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT LAURA JOINING US TONIGHT.

THANK YOU.

LAURA: THANK YOU.

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Chauncey Koziol

Update: 2024-07-18