GOP will 'abandon democracy' when it 'can no longer win elections': House Dem leader

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is warning of the long-term impact of former President Donald Trump's criminal indictment.

The New York Times reported Sunday security experts are warning of potential violence in response to Trump's indictment and arraignment Tuesday, noting, "Close allies of Trump, together with fervent fans from his MAGA base, unleashed a torrent of demands for civil war and acts of retribution."

During an appearance on MSNBC's Politics Nation Sunday, the New York lawmaker spoke with host Rev. Al Sharpton, who echoed The Times reporting, saying, "The New York Times is reporting that the right wing media has exploded with calls for violence and rebellion."

Sharpton continued, "With the rhetoric surrounding this indictment reported to be even more extreme than what we saw around Trump's indictment in the Manhattan DA’s hush money probe just three months ago. Right now, public officials in Miami and the Secret Service are bracing for possible demonstrations from Trump supporters Tuesday in Miami. As a manager of Trump’s first impeachment, having lived through literally the events of January 6, are you concerned we will see violence from his supporters going into Tuesday, if not after?"

Jeffries replied, "It's certainly appropriate and important for federal law enforcement officials in partnership with state and local officials to take every available precaution to prevent the type of violence that we saw on January 6 because of the extreme rhetoric that is coming from many right-wing ideologues in this country. It's important to understand what is perhaps at the root of what we're seeing in terms of this irresponsible rhetoric. The right wing in this country wants to end Social Security and Medicare as we know it, they want to strip away reproductive freedom. They want to undermine the right to vote and believe that voter suppression is their pathway into maintaining power. They want to cut taxes for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected, while at the same time trying to undermine middle class folks, those who aspire to be part of the middle class the poor, the sick, and the afflicted.

The Democratic leader emphasized, "Their policies are out of step with the American people, and that's why they've been losing elections and underperforming, as they did in the 2022 midterm elections. And so many of us have long been concerned, Rev, and you've been a leading voice in this regard, that if right wing folks in this country concluded that they can no longer win elections democratically, they wouldn't abandon conservatism, they'd abandon democracy."

He concluded, "And what we're seeing from some of these calls to violence coming from some of the more extreme members of the right wing in this country is an abandonment of democracy. And that should frighten everyday Americans."