| Ryuu96 said: “Shoot a couple, the rest will go home,†said a meme circulating on Telegram channels of groups affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys. “You just have to impale a few of them…†another local chapter posted. One disseminated an online gun tutorial, illustrating optimal shooting techniques with the caption: “Riot season again!†|
Trump supports this
Former Pentagon chief Esper says Trump asked about shooting protesters
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/09/1097517470/trump-esper-book-defense-secretary
Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said President Donald Trump inquired about shooting protesters amid the unrest that took place after George Floyd's murder in 2020. He recounts that incident, and many others, in a wide-ranging interview with NPR's Michel Martin on All Things Considered.
"The president was enraged," Esper recalled. "He thought that the protests made the country look weak, made us look weak and 'us' meant him. And he wanted to do something about it.
"We reached that point in the conversation where he looked frankly at [Joint Chiefs of Staff] Gen. [Mark] Milley and said, 'Can't you just shoot them, just shoot them in the legs or something?' ... It was a suggestion and a formal question. And we were just all taken aback at that moment as this issue just hung very heavily in the air."
Esper said he stayed in the administration because he worried that if he left, the president would more easily implement some of his "dangerous ideas." The former Defense chief also said he hopes Trump does not seek the presidency in 2024.
"We need leaders of integrity and character, and we need leaders who will bring people together and reach across the aisle and do what's best for the country. And Donald Trump doesn't meet the mark for me on any of those issues."
That aged poorly...
Nothing about this is exaggerated - Donald Trump is sending troops to Los Angeles to crack down on protesters. But the president has been telling us he would do this, Mehdi Hasan explains. This time, Trump has the sycophants needed to get it done. “Were you not paying attention?” Mehdi asks, as he brings receipts and recalls interviews, quotes, and headlines that show loudly and clearly how what Trump is doing today — autocratic, state-backed military violence against US citizens — builds on everything that Trump has wanted to do for decades.
