- I don't know for sure that Trump is a Christo-Fascist White Supremacy Asshole. I do know that an awful lot of Christo-Fascist White Supremacy Assholes are pretty sure he is one, so all he has to do is whistle, and they come a-runnin'
- That whistle's getting very loud again
- The reason for the louder whistle may be that fewer people are willing to rally to him because they're not as willing to accept being perceived as Christo-Fascist White Supremacy Assholes as they were just a few years ago
We can hope that some peer pressure is kicking in, and while we can't expect any big shift to "the left", at least it seems more people are pulling back away from the cliff's edge.
There’s a little history there that you may recall.
The Branch Davidians were led by David Koresh and were headquartered at Mount Carmel Center ranch in the community of Axtell, Texas, northeast of Waco. In 1993, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) obtained a search warrant for the compound from a federal judge, as well as arrest warrants for Koresh and other members of the group. There was evidence the group was stockpiling illegal weapons and had explosive devices.
The planned execution of the search warrant was disrupted when Koresh’s brother-in-law, a mail carrier, learned of the search from a reporter who, tipped off to the search warrant, stopped him to ask for directions to the compound. By the time federal agents arrived to execute the warrant, the Branch Davidians were armed and on alert. A gunfight broke out—each side subsequently accused the other of starting it. Four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians died.
Next, there was a siege that lasted for 51 days, from February 28 to April 19. Federal agents attempted to negotiate with Koresh to end the standoff or at least to permit the children inside to leave. Koresh refused. Ultimately, then-Attorney General Janet Reno approved the use of tear gas to force the Branch Davidians out of their compound. Agents went in on April 19, 1993. The compound became engulfed in flames—how and who was responsible has been the subject of dispute.
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Despite the evidence, there has always been controversy, with Davidians claiming federal agents were responsible...
By the end of the effort to end the standoff, 76 Davidians, including Koresh, 25 children, and two pregnant women, were dead.
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Over the past three decades, Waco has become a touchstone for far-right anti-government, Christian-nationalist white supremacists who likely know little about the Branch Davidians and their motivations. And here is Trump, holding a rally on their sacred ground to launch his 2024 campaign right in the middle of the 30th anniversary of the siege. Going to Waco sends a clear message to anti-government groups, and it should send one to the rest of us as well. It’s too important to miss. Trump is willing to embrace far-right extremism, and everything it brings along with it, to restore himself to power.
That means embracing violence...
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I asked my former boss, Alabama’s former Senator Doug Jones, who prosecuted members of the KKK responsible for the racially motivated 1963 bombing at 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four young girls, about Trump’s upcoming rally. I asked if he was concerned about what Trump’s appearance in Waco during the 30th anniversary of the siege could encourage groups or individuals to do, since Waco has taken on major significance for people in anti-government movements and militia groups. “Of course,” he told me. “Trump is the master of dog whistles, whether it is his rhetoric or photo ops. Waco is a wonderful city, but for the far-right fringe that Trump caters to, an appearance by Trump can be a call to arms. Not action—arms.”
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Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump has a unique vantage point for assessing what the choice of Waco for his opening rally might signal. She has a PhD in clinical psychology and, before his presidency, when they parted ways, the unique access to observe her uncle that only family members have. I asked Mary whether the former president’s decision to go to Waco for his first rally in the 2024 campaign could be just a coincidence. This was her response:
“It’s clear to me that the decision to hold Donald’s next rally in Waco, TX, during the 30th anniversary of the FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound is entirely intentional. I doubt it was Donald’s idea—more likely Stephen Miller or somebody of his ilk made the connection. I think this is a signal that they don’t have to hide anything anymore. Much like David Koresh and his followers, Donald and his followers are an apocalyptic, anti-government cult. And they’re coming for us.
“The pattern has been established over decades—Donald pushes the envelope, his transgressions are overlooked, he pushes the envelope further. This week, after he manipulated the entirety of the American media to do his bidding, Donald took to social media to warn of widespread violence if the rule of law were upheld and he was finally, at long last, indicted. He used vile racist and anti-Semitic tropes and charged images to threaten the life of the New York District Attorney who dares hold him accountable—according to the law. Openly declaring war on the government he hopes once again to lead by appealing to the most violent, self-destructive instincts of those who continue to enable him is the next logical step.”
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Branch Davidian Pastor Says Trump Is Making A ‘Statement’ With Waco Rally
In choosing Waco, Texas, as the setting of what he calls the first rally of his 2024 campaign, former President Donald Trump raised some eyebrows.
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This week, a pastor with the group, Charles Pace, told multiple outlets he believes that Trump’s choice to rally in Waco was definitely “a statement” as the former president awaits possible criminal charges.
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Trump is “making a statement, I believe, by coming to these stomping grounds where the government, the FBI, laid siege on this community just like they laid siege on Mar-a-Lago and went in and took his stuff. That’s what they wanted to do here, they wanted to come in and take the guns and everything,” Pace told Texas Tribune reporter Robert Downen.
Pace made similar comments to The New York Times, saying that the FBI was “accusing [Trump] of different things that aren’t really true, just like David Koresh was accused by the FBI.”
The Times noted that Pace had spoken highly of Trump in his sermons, calling him “the anointed of God.”
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Meanwhile - over on the Not So Bad News front:
Former President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Waco, Texas, Saturday saw "quite a few" of his supporters leave early despite drawing a large crowd, according to local media.
Thousands of Trump supporters flocked to the first rally of his presidential campaign in the Lone Star State, a traditionally conservative state viewed as potentially competitive in the 2024 race, Saturday night. During the rally, Trump addressed looming indictments in several investigations and hit out at his potential Republican opponents, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump supporters have viewed the rally as a substantial show of support from his voter base, as polls show him as the favorite to snag the GOP nomination, despite concerns from some Republicans about his electability. His supporters have pointed to the large crowd size as evidence of his ongoing popularity among conservatives.
However, Waco Tribune-Herald journalist Mike Copeland reported that "quite a few fans did not last" until the end of the rally.
"About 30 minutes into the rally, the crowd began to thin, with people getting a head start on the walk back to the parking lots, designated and otherwise," the report reads. "Several leaving early said they accomplished what they wanted to achieve by showing up for the rally, enduring traffic and long lines. Some said after hours on the tarmac, they were tired, hungry or both and wanted to get home."
Others, however, pointed out that Trump still brought in a substantial crowd.
"In case the mainstream media tries to tell you no one showed up to Pres. Donald Trump's Waco rally. You be the judge," tweeted Daniel Baldwin, a reporter for the right-leaning One America News Network, alongside a video showing thousands of Trump supporters in the crowd before the rally.
"No other GOP candidate or would be candidate could pull this crowd hours before a rally. The polls reflect the momentum, and Trump is leading BIG," tweeted GOP consultant Garret Ventry.
The exact number of attendees was not known Sunday evening, and Newsweek reached out to Waco police for comment. The rally comes after some Trump critics have questioned whether he could still draw massive crowds.
Trump, during his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids, held a series of large rallies for his supporters across the country, and he has often boasted about his ability to bring in large crowds. He also held rallies in support of his endorsed candidates prior to the 2022 midterms, but Saturday's was the first since he announced his presidential bid last November.
Following Trump's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican who supported Trump's previous presidential bids, suggested his lack of presidential rallies could be due to his alleged inability to draw a large crowd earlier in March.
"You saw the scenes at CPAC. That room was half-full," Christie said.
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