Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is once again raising the stakes, doubling down on her previous claims that an unknown number of Trump voters might be gearing up for a Ruby Ridge or Waco-style standoff.
Waters’ rhetoric hit new heights during an appearance on MSNBC, where she dissected Trump’s language.
“I’m worried that he’s so divisive and that he’s talking about retribution, and they’re talking about revenge and I think that that’s dangerous. He’s even mentioned civil war at one point, talked about there would be bloodshed,” Waters told host Jonathan Capehart.
“Are they preparing a civil war against us?” she asked, leaving the question hanging in the air. “Should we be concerned about our safety? What is [Trump] doing with this divisive language? It is dangerous.”
The Los Angeles-area Democrat promised to enlist the “criminal justice system” to investigate what she described as the activities of “domestic terrorists,” clearly pointing the finger at Trump supporters.
Low IQ Maxine Waters calls supporters of President Trump "domestic terrorists" and wonders if they're "preparing a civil war against us" pic.twitter.com/iOvXuJXSwy
“It is not just that [Trump is] a criminal, this is a man who disrespects the Constitution and democracy and we have got to find out what they are doing as domestic terrorists [who] tried to take over the government on Jan. 6,” Waters continued.
With a flair for the dramatic, Waters posed another rhetorical question, “How far is this going to go? Are they going to be attacking? Whom are they going to attack? What are we going to do? We’re trying to get an investigation going about that.” (RELATED: CNN Lawyers Take Unexpected Stand – Blast Judge Merchan And Back Trump Big Time)
After Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts, Waters took to social media with gusto, lambasting the presumptive Republican nominee.
Trump shut your mouth! You talk about saving the Constitution? You’re the one who has disrespected the Constitution and you have supporters who believe we should get rid of the Constitution! Just shut your mouth, you’re convicted on all counts!
Chatting yet again with host Jonathan Capehart, Waters declared her plan to press the Justice Department and the White House on how President Biden would respond if his opponent refuses to accept the election results.
But she didn’t stop there – Waters went on to allege (without evidence) that shadowy “right-wing organizations” are “training up in the hills somewhere,” suggesting that extremist violence against the government isn’t just a possibility but practically a done deal.
Members from both sides of the aisle have aired their opinions in the wake of former President Trump’s guilty verdict but Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) has shared an idea that’s unlikely to get much support from his colleagues: a pardon.
Following the verdict, Rep. Phillips said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) should seriously consider pardoning the former President “for the good of the country.”
Despite his call to let Trump walk free, the Democrat Congressman shared nothing but insults for the presumptive Republican nominee in a post on X.
“Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips wrote on X. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”
Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater, and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim.@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.
On Friday, the Trump campaign announced a new record of $34.8 million raised in the hours after the verdict.
“You think pardoning him is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are totally different.)” Phillips wrote in another post. “It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”
You think pardoning is stupid?
Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are entirely different.)
It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.
Hochul appeared to suggest that pardoning Trump is off the table as she made clear her support for the verdict in a statement released Thursday.
“TODAY’S VERDICT REAFFIRMS THAT NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. IN PREPARATION FOR A VERDICT IN THIS TRIAL, I DIRECTED MY ADMINISTRATION TO CLOSELY COORDINATE WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROTECTING THE SAFETY OF ALL NEW YORKERS AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM,” THE STATEMENT SAID.
Phillips is not the only congressman calling for Hochul to pardon Trump. Republican New York Rep. Nick LaLotawrote on social media that “the best way to unwind” Trump’s conviction is for Hochul to “immediately announce her intention” to pardon the former president.
The best way to unwind Alvin Bragg’s political prosecution and today’s conviction is for Governor Hochul to immediately announce her intention to pardon President Trump and pre-emptively commute any sentence. To not do so is to allow America to become a banana republic. President…
Earlier this year Phillips emerged as a long-shot “alternative” to President Joe Biden before suspending his campaign in March.
“I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options,” he wrote on X.
“But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be,” Phillips continued.
In 2011, I hosted then VP Biden at my home. Most notable was his empathy and kindness to my daughters and the catering staff, with whom he sat and had ice cream (surprise-surprise). His decency and wisdom were rarities in politics then, and even more so today.
A group of Evanston, Illinois, residents are suing their city government over a $20 million scheme to give away $25,000 each to Black residents as “reparations” for wrongs experienced by past generations.
The nonprofit public interest law firm Judicial Watch announced it “filed a class action lawsuit against Evanston, Illinois, on behalf of six individuals over the city’s use of race as an eligibility requirement for a reparations program which makes $25,000 payments to black residents and descendants of black residents who lived in Evanston between the years 1919 and 1969.” (RELATED: San Francisco Debates $5 Million Per Person Reparations Proposal)
The New York Times photo archive, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“The Evanston, Illinois’ ‘reparations’ program is nothing more than a ploy to redistribute tax dollars to individuals based on race,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This scheme unconstitutionally discriminates against anyone who does not identify as Black or African American. This class action, civil rights lawsuit will be a historic defense of our color-blind Constitution.”
“Through a series of resolutions, the Evanston City Council created a program to provide $25,000 cash payments to residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,” JW reports, after filing a class action, civil rights lawsuit which challenges “on Equal Protection grounds Defendant City of Evanston’s use of race as an eligibility requirement for a program that makes $25,000 payments to residents and direct descendants of residents of the city five-plus decades if not more than a century ago. Plaintiffs seek a judgment declaring the Defendant’s use of race to be unconstitutional. Plaintiffs also seek an injunction enjoining Defendant from continuing to use race as a requirement for receiving payment under the program and request that the Court award them and all class members damages in the amount of $25,000 each.”
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
JW argues that “the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because:”
Remedying societal discrimination is not a compelling governmental interest. Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., 488 U.S. 469, 505 (1989); see also Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265, 307 ((1978) (opinion of Powell, J.) (describing “societal discrimination” as “an amorphous concept of injury that may be ageless in its reach into the past.”) Remedying discrimination from 55 to 105 years ago or remedying discrimination experienced at any time by an individual’s parents, grandparents, or great grandparents has not been recognized as a compelling governmental interest…
Defendant also has not and cannot demonstrate that its use of a race as an eligibility requirement is narrowly tailored. Among other shortcomings, Defendant’s use of race as a proxy for experiencing discrimination between 1919 and 1969 does not limit eligibility to persons who actually experienced discrimination during that relevant time period and therefore is overinclusive. Defendant also failed to consider race-neutral alternatives, such as requiring prospective recipients show that they or their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents actually experienced housing discrimination during the relevant time period because of an Evanston ordinance, policy, or procedure, as Defendant requires for the third group of prospective recipients. Nor did Defendant take into account race-neutral anti-discrimination remedies before adopting its race-based eligibility requirement.
According to JW, the program works as follows:
The first group of persons eligible for the $25,000 payments are current Evanston residents who identify as Black or African American and were at least 18 years of age between 1919 and 1969. Evanston refers to this group as “ancestors.”
The second group are individuals who identify as Black or African American who are at least 18 years of age and have at least one parent, grandparent, or great grandparent who identifies (or identified) as Black or African American, lived in Evanston for any period between 1919 and 1969, and was at least 18 at the time. Evanston refers to this group as “direct descendants.” A “direct descendant” is not required to be a current resident of Evanston to receive the payment.
“At no point in the application process are persons in the first and second groups required to present evidence that they or their ancestors experienced housing discrimination or otherwise suffered harm because of an unlawful Evanston ordinance, policy, or procedure or some other unlawful act or series of acts by Evanston between 1919 and 1969,” Judicial Watch states in the laws.” “In effect, Evanston is using race as a proxy for having experienced discrimination during this time period.” (RELATED: Squad Member Introduces Proposal For $14 Trillion In Reparations)
Judicial Watch states in the lawsuit that “the six plaintiffs satisfy all eligibility requirements for participating in the program as ‘direct descendants’ other that the race requirement (the actual number of individuals who are potential class members is in the tens of thousands).”
Christine Svenson of Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman, LLC is assisting Judicial Watch in the lawsuit.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Great America News Desk. It first appeared in American Liberty News.
Rap icon 50 Cent confirmed after a bipartisan meet-and-greet on Capitol Hill that Black people, particularly men, are identifying with former President Donald Trump following his controversial conviction.
The Grammy Award-winning artist and savvy entrepreneur schmoozed with lawmakers from both parties while lobbying for Black entrepreneurs and business owners.
During the meeting, one reporter asked 50 Cent, given name Curtis Jackson, about the prevailing mood among Black men before the 2024 presidential election.
“I see them identifying with Trump,” he confidently responded.
The reporter followed up: “Why do you say that?”
According to the music mogul, it was because the government has filed “RICO charges” against Trump.
In August 2023, Trump was indicted on a racketeering charge.
Under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which was passed in 1970, there are around 35 offenses that are defined as racketeering. Some examples of racketeering charges consist of gambling, murder, kidnapping, bribery, and drug dealing.
Most recently, Trump was found guilty of 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree related to payments made to adult entertainment star, Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
This is not the first time that the famous rapper has seemingly come out in favor of Trump. In October 2020, 50 Cent criticized Biden’s proposed tax plan in a post on Instagram and seemed to endorse Trump for reelection, writing that people should vote for him.
In February of this year, 50 Cent suggested that “maybe Trump is the answer” after New York City Mayor Eric Adams proposed distributing pre-paid credit cards to migrants staying in the city.
Nearly a week after a Manhattan jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records the dust has started to settle.
According to a recent YouGov poll, Republicans say that they are now okay with allowing convicted felons to be president a significant rise from a similar poll in April.
YouGov conducted its first poll on the political support of felons on May 31, following the conviction of former President Donald Trump, and the sharp rise is both equally stunning and not at all surprising.
The Political Polls account shared the details on social media:
A convicted felon should be allowed to run for president
Similarly, a focus group of undecided voters following former President Trump’s conviction last week revealed mixed reactions to the historic verdict
According to The New York Times, a transcription of the focus group features 11 swing voters, all of whom have previously supported Trump and President Biden or Hillary Clinton at least once during 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Undecided voters were asked to discuss the impact of Trump’s guilty verdict in his New York trial and how it will affect their likelihood to vote for him. Some respondents said they were still “torn” after the verdict. However, it wasn’t a decisive factor for many of them.
“Inflation, the economy, immigration and abortion were the things that they said would ultimately determine their votes,” the Times notes.
James, a 53-year-old from Iowa, commented, “They’ve been going after Trump since he was elected in 2016. Democracy is supposed to be about the will of the people. I don’t really think the majority of the people in this country wanted to see him prosecuted on these charges.”
When other participants expressed their hesitancy to vote for a convicted felon, Jonathan, a 37-year-old from Florida, interjected, “You have to remember why Trump is the choice of millions of people. Trump represents a shock to the system. His supporters don’t hold him to the same ethical standards. He’s the antihero, the Soprano, the ‘Breaking Bad,’ the guy who does bad things, who is a bad guy but does them on behalf of the people he represents.”
Frank, a 65-year-old from Arizona, replied, “The more I see Trump dealing with this, the less confident I am in him. A president’s got to be a step apart from just a good person. And I have a problem with his integrity and ethics. I’m swinging toward probably Biden. And I don’t like Biden. I don’t like him… got no ethics, either.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence shared a harsh message following Donald Trump’s guilty conviction in New York.
Despite Pence’s rocky relationship with the presumed Republican candidate, he slammed the conviction as a “disservice to the nation.”
“The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation,” Pence told Fox News Digital.
“No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents,” Pence continued. “To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice.”
“This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad,” he added.
Pence continued, “Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law.”
Last week, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
Following the guilty verdict, the Trump campaign announced a new fundraising record totaling $34.8 million.
“From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors. Not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday’s donor’s were brand new donors to the WinRed platform. President Trump and our campaign are immensely grateful from this outpouring of support from patriots across our country. President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict.” – Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors
On Thursday, Trump became the first-ever U.S. President to be charged and convicted of criminal charges.
The former first daughter shared a photo of a young Donald Trump holding her as a kid on his lap to Instagram Stories with the caption “I love you dad” and a heart emoji.
The short and sweet message were the first public remarks Ivanka, 42, has made after her dad became the first former US president to be criminally convicted.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.
On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all charges.
Before the jury began deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan instructed its members that they did not need to have a unanimous verdict in order to convict the former president.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.
Trump has yet to respond to the verdict.
Trump, a slight favorite to win the White House, might face diminished support from some voters who aren’t keen on backing a candidate with a criminal record. On the flip side, it could galvanize his base and swing voters, who view the trial as a politically motivated attack while the economy languishes.
The political significance of the trial was on display Tuesday, as the Biden and Trump campaigns held dueling events outside the courthouse.
The Biden campaign featured actor Robert De Niro and retired law enforcement officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for a press conference to bash Trump as dangerous.
Robert De Niro: Donald Trump doesn’t belong in my city. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot. A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids. He’s a clown. But this person can’t run the country. That… pic.twitter.com/5LYzPnjVlL
It was the first time the Biden campaign held an event around the trial. Communications director Michael Tyler explained why it chose to do so, saying to the media, “Because you all are here.”
“We want to remind the American people … of the unique, persistent and growing threat that Donald Trump poses to the American people and to our democracy,” he said.
Trump’s team brushed off the Biden event as a sign of desperation.
“Why is Joe Biden now making this a campaign event after months of weaponizing the legal system against President Trump? Because Joe Biden’s numbers are in the tank,” senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
A recent report found that Trump’s criminal hush money trial is unlikely to deter voters as he awaits a verdict.
The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist national poll showed 67% of registered voters nationally wouldn’t be swayed by a guilty verdict against Trump, while 15% said it would make them more likely to vote for him. Another 17% said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for Trump.
The 12-member jury is currently on day two of deliberations after the prosecution and defense concluded their closing arguments on Tuesday.
According to the Washington Examiner, among Republicans surveyed in the poll, 25% said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for the former president, while 10% said it would make them less likely to vote for him. Only 7% of Democrats said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for Trump, and 27% said it would make them less likely to vote for Trump.
Among coveted independent voters, 15% said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for Trump, and 11% said it would make them less likely.
In contrast, 76% of all voters said a not-guilty verdict wouldn’t affect their votes.
The best-case scenario for Trump is acquittal however experts have noted outcome is unlikely as it would require all 12 jurors to find him innocent. The most realistic path for the defense is a hung jury, in which at least one juror dissents.
The former president is expected to appeal if he is found guilty. A conviction would not keep him from running for a second term.
Well-known actor Dennis Quaid said in a recent interview that he plans to vote for Donald Trump in the November election.
The celebrity announced his support of the Republican candidate during an interview with Piers Morgan on British television when asked by Morgan what he thought of Trump.
“I think I’m gonna vote for him in the next election,” the actor said. “It just makes sense. I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a challenge to our Constitution.”
“Trump is the most investigated person, probably in the history of the world, and they haven’t been able to really get him on anything,” he added.
Quaid went on to reference many of Trump’s accomplishments…
“What he did with Korea, with Rocket Baby, the way he defeated ISIS in three weeks,” he continued. “You know, people don’t even remember, it happened so fast. How he stood up for us overseas. The way he responded to China. He stands up to people and that’s what makes him a leader. Rather than, what I kind of compare it to, what was going on in Jimmy Carter’s administration, where we’re trying to be everybody’s friend and pal.”
“And there’s some evil people and bad actors in this world and so, you know, people might call [Trump] an a**hole but he’s my a**hole,” Quaid said. “I’ll tell you one true thing about him is that I really feel that he is working for the American people. That’s what he’s all about, and I do believe that to be true and sincere.”
Here's the full clip of Dennis Quaid's remarks why he explains why he is going to vote for Trump and why he won't vote for Biden.
"It just makes sense. I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a… pic.twitter.com/74E5fnVvbR
