Extremism expert Jeff Sharlet spoke to MSNBC about Donald Trump's recent post that uses language to call on the extremists who are preparing for a Biblical end times.
Sharlet said Trump's call was akin to his "stand back and stand by" comment during the presidential debates in 2020.
"I think that's the call that they are getting from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Clay Higgins (R-lA)," he said of the comments coming from the GOP. "There may be Jan. 6th kind of violence tomorrow, but the movement, this far-right movement, has changed. They are afraid of infiltration. They are afraid of feds. But that's pushed them underground. The J6ers, and the militia guys I talked to. They speak now in terms of cells, in terms of stealth, and I think the real risk of violence is not necessarily tomorrow morning. But this is just raised the heat under this summer that we are already in."
MSNBC host Chris Hayes said he's seen some far-right activists encourage people not to buy into the traps in Miami and instead to focus on the long-term cause.
Sharlet doesn't think putting so many militia members and extremists in jail is a deterrent.
"Maybe the best way to understand that is to think of all the years in which we kept hearing that the second command of ISIS, or the third command of this or that was arrested," Sharlet said. "And then, in the next month, he was killed, and then the next month, he was taken again and again and again. This is a growing movement right now. It does change the tactics. But it also creates a class of martyrs. So, when Trump stands there, and stands along with the Jan. 6th choir, he's putting himself as if he, too has already been to prison. As if he's persecuted, and it makes that role more attractive. Now, if you show up for a protest, or if you take other action, you are not just a protester; you are a martyr. You are there for a religious cause."
See the full commentary from Sharlet below or at the link here.
'You’re not just a protester — you’re a martyr for a cause': Extremism expert warns of MAGA waryoutu.be
