We must stop Trump fascism - the danger is now

Last Wednesday evening marked the unofficial start of Donald Trump’s campaign to be reelected president of the United States

-  Robert Reich

He spent over an hour of prime-time television before an adoring crowd — courtesy of CNN — suggesting America should default on its debts (the crowd applauded) and that we should not defend Ukraine from Russia (cheers).

He defended his infamous “grab ’em by the pussy” comments and called E. Jean Carroll, against whom a Manhattan jury had just found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, a “whack job” and said her trial was “a rigged deal” (cheers and applause).

All of this was bad enough. But what really got my attention was his attempt to rewrite the history of his attempted coup: He asserted that Jan. 6, 2021, was “a beautiful day” (more cheers), that the Capitol rioters had “love in their heart,” and that if elected, he’d pardon those who have been convicted (big applause). He denied moderator Kaitlan Collins’ factual assertion that he took three hours to tell the Jan. 6 rioters to go home (more cheers).

He claimed that he never asked Georgia election officials to “find” him the exact number of votes needed to defeat Biden in Georgia. (He did, and it’s on tape.) He claimed that ex-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to overturn the election. (He didn’t.) He called Michael Byrd — the Black Capitol Police lieutenant who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt while protecting lawmakers during the storming of the Capitol — a “thug.” (He isn’t.)

And he reiterated that the 2020 election was stolen from him and — menacingly — refused to commit to the results of the 2024 presidential election (more applause).