Experts are voicing concern over remarks Donald Trump made related to any possible U.S. civil war during his interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which was posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday night as “counter-programming” to the first Republican presidential candidates’ debate on Fox News.
“Do you think we’re moving towards civil war?” asked Carlson, who has been promoting Russia in Vladimir Putin’s illegal war against Ukraine.
“There’s tremendous passion and there’s tremendous love,” offered Trump, appearing to take a momentary pause before giving his answer (video below).
“You know, January 6 was a very interesting day because they don’t report it properly,” Trump claimed. “I believe it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken before.”
After saying he had told them to “go peacefully and patriotically” to the U.S. Capitol, Trump said it was “a very small group of people went down there and then you, there are a lot of lot of scenarios that we can talk about,” referring to the attack on the nation’s capitol.
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“But people in that crowd said it was most beautiful day they’ve ever experienced,” Trump claimed. “There was love and there was love and unity. I have never seen such spirit and such passion and such love. And I’ve also never seen simultaneously and from the same people such hatred of what they’ve done to our country.”
Thursday evening Trump is expected to surrender and be booked, fingerprinted, have his mug shot taken, and be arraigned on charges including racketeering related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election he lost. Trump has already been indicted on charges related to the January 6 insurrection. More than 1100 people have been charged for their actions around January 6, and many, according to NPR, “name Trump in their statements.”
Carlson pressed on, asking, “So, do you think it’s possible that there’s open conflict? We seem to be moving towards something.”
Trump, answering as if he were an uninvolved observer, replied, “I don’t know, because I don’t know what you know, I can say this: There’s a level of passion that I’ve never seen. There’s a level of hatred, that I’ve never seen and that’s probably a bad combination.”
Experts are raising concerns over Trump’s remarks.
“Trump and Carlson indulged a bromance made in conspiracy heaven in their puppet show last night — warning of violence and civil war. Carlson sat by as a perpetual frat boy, allowing Trump to continue trying to haze an entire country,” observed Tim O’Brien, Senior Executive Editor of Bloomberg Opinion, an MSNBC political analyst, and author of several books including one on Donald Trump.
He also added, “Both men’s stock in trade, of course, has been stoking passion and hatred to fatten their egos, influence and wallets.”
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Others served up even more serious concerns.
“He is a threat to US national security. The greatest imminent threat we face,” wrote foreign policy, national security, and political affairs analyst David Rothkopf, who has written ten books on those topics.
Rothkopf was responding to an observation from the federal watchdog CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who wrote: “When asked by Tucker Carlson whether the US is headed towards a violent civil war, Donald Trump chooses to answer by praising the people who attacked the Capitol on January 6th.”
“Trump could’ve very easily said no. But instead, he flirts with saying the people who tried to violently overthrow the government were justified,” CREW continued. “The only way he could be more clear about where he stands is if he said ‘yes, I wanted them to overthrow the government.'”
Professor of international relations, Nicholas Grossman, says that Trump “again threatened America with political violence (in his typical mobster-like shame-if-something-happened way).”
The Washington Post, reporting on Trump’s remarks to Carlson, notes: “Trump has received warnings from the judges in the criminal cases against inciting violence and intimidating witnesses.”
Watch the clip of Trump’s remarks below or at this link.