Kari Lake was speaking at a Republican convention in Georgia on Friday night where she called for an armed attack against the United States in response to Trump’s indictment.
According to Washington Post reporter Issac Arnsdorf:
Kari Lake speaking in Georgia tonight says to get Trump Merrick Garland will have to go through 75 million Americans “and most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA. That’s not a threat, that’s a public service announcement.” Standing ovation.
— Isaac Arnsdorf (@iarnsdorf) June 10, 2023
Kari Lake wasn’t hiding what she was trying to say. The most ardent Trump cultists like Lake have taken the most extreme position to defend Trump. Lake threatened the Attorney General of the United States, and by extension, the United States government, with armed violence if Donald Trump is prosecuted.
Before the 1/6 attack on the Capitol, Lake’s comments might have been viewed as extreme and potentially dangerous political rhetoric, but in a post-1/6 America, her comments take on a different and more sinister context.
The MAGAs are a minority in the United States. Trump and his supporters are losing. Their leader is about to go on trial and could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
When political extremists are a minority who can’t gain power through legitimate means, they often see violence as an acceptable path to power.
Republicans as an entire party have not rushed to Trump’s defense. No red hats have taken part in mass protests on the streets around the country.
No matter how often Trump tries to scare his supporters into action by claiming that the prosecutor is really coming after them, the people aren’t showing up.
Kari Lake’s comments represent a dangerous extremist escalation that must be stopped before it can get started.