Historian Michael Beschloss sounded the alarm on MSNBC Monday about Donald Trump's new 2024 presidential campaign that appears to be running on dictatorship.
He's "the only person in all of American history who has said if you elect me, my intention is to establish a presidential dictatorship," he told host Joy Ann Reid. "Telling you the American people, your families, everyone you know, your friends, others, [that] every private aspect of your life — if you're running a business, there's not going to be an independent Federal Trade Commission. Donald Trump will tell your business what to do. If you're part of a media organization as we are, there will not be, for instance, an independent Federal Communications Commission. Donald Trump, if he hears something on MSNBC or another network that he doesn't like, something he reads in The New York Times, which is probably pretty likely, he can do a lot to have what we do, what all of us do, stilled and perhaps even those organizations abolished."
He cautioned that nothing has ever been like it in America before. "Don't think this is a joke."
Reid pivoted to talk about the case in Miami, which will have the first hearing on Tuesday. She wondered if Judge Aileen Cannon would see Trump dangling incentives before her in his trial.
"Meaning, if he becomes president, Clarence Thomas retires to permanent vacation with his billionaire friends, who, by the way, probably won't want to take him anymore because he can't get them anything anymore, and she gets on the Supreme Court in her late 30s," Reid wondered. "And then — there's no incentive for her to behave herself. If she's MAGA, she can MAGA and there's nothing we can do about it."
Beschloss pointed to the comments Trump made at the Talking Points Action conference and asked why he would choose "this moment to tell the American people that he will become a dictator if elected."
He noted the more politically savvy thing would be to convince Americans he could be more moderate and appeal to more people.
"I would give two reasons: the major reason is, if Americans think that Donald Trump is inevitable and fascism is the way of the American future, people will begin in their minds to censor themselves and make adjustments in everything they do between now and 16 months from now at the time of the election," Beschloss warned. "They might say, well, maybe I shouldn't say this because if Trump is re-elected, he may start jailing people. He may retaliate against people."
More specifically, he explained, Trump might intimidate jurors in Florida or Georgia into believing that if they declare him guilty, they could end up on his hit list.
"What better way than to give them the idea that if they cast a vote to send Donald Trump to prison or cause him to be convicted, then if Donald Trump becomes president, who is going to be first on the enemy's list?" he pondered. "Remember what President Barack Obama said, 'When we lose true democracy, people get hurt.' That's what's going to happen if this happens."
See the shocking warning in the video below or at the link here.
Historian warns Trump can scare jurors by hinting if they convict he'll put them on his 'list' youtu.be
Report typos and corrections to corrections@rawstory.com.
For customer support contact support@rawstory.com.
