From my occasional soapbox:
What is most alarming about this statement from the fired ex-President is that we have seen it before...or it's like. It is not without precedent. But, this one is more extreme with the reference to 'death and destruction'.
Notably though, the alarming rhetoric in the past...in the lead-up to the 2020 election was more along the lines of 'save your country'.....do this or do that 'or else you won't have a country'.
On the face of it, that rhetoric doesn't sound too alarming, however, in hindsight and in the context that it was spoken in and in the context of what happened preceding it.... we now know that it proved to be dangerous rhetoric from that same source.
But today, in this case the reckless rhetoric is not under the rubric of 'saving America'. Rather, it is a threat of death & destruction if one man is merely brought before our courts...with all the protections capable counsel and our laws provide citizens in America.
THAT...is a distinction that makes an enormous difference.
It is fight for me.
It is not fight for our country.
I view the messaging as a double-barreled threat.
1. To the authorities: 'don't indict me or else I will turn my followers on like I did on Januarly 6th.'
2. And it is a call to the most extreme MAGA & QAnon loyalists. It is 'stand back and stand by' all over again. A signal to his most extreme followers to be prepared to do violence to protect him personally.
I have many skepticism of Don Trump's character. And his past rhetoric and actions. But this morning's threat is quite beyond the pale.
As I said in the OP....real leaders, responsible leaders don't do what he did. Responsible leaders who care about their followers, cares about police, cares about the city and it's society that provided him a good living......well quality leaders don't put them at risk of great harm. Even death. That's not what leaders do. I know everyone reading this knows this deeply. Some here are leaders themselves today, or in the past...and they understand the responsibility of leadership.
The memory and the images of January 6th loom. So Don Trump's threat is not without portentous possibilities.
I ain't no Pollyanna, or GoodyTwoShoes. I have seen the rough & tumble and hurley burly of life and events including in our military. But, I am also old enough and have led large numbers of people long enough to know that there is a responsible obligation to 'do no harm'.
Don Trump's threat this morning ignores the compelling ethic of 'do-no-harm'.
THAT is not leadership.
IMHO
