As the crowds dwindle, the president’s audiences gradually get down to the nut, and I do mean nut.
From The Hill:
President Trump ridiculed a woman who protested his speech Monday at a political rally in Youngstown, Ohio, after the heckler was physically assaulted by a crowd member. The woman, who was wearing a “Release the Epstein Files” shirt, was punched in the face by a crowd member at the event while rallygoers cheered on the assault with chants of “USA.” Police later intervened and removed her from the venue, while the man who punched her remained inside and exchanged high-fives with other attendees, according to Fox News. Trump, who had been criticizing Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown (D) before the altercation broke out, suggested the heckler was a “paid protester.”
“They’re all paid,” the president said. “They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country. They’re scum. But he’s going back home to mom.” He also mocked the woman as she was being pulled out of the venue by police, calling her a “fat guy” and saying she “needs to go on a diet.”
Ultimately, this is what he’s going to rely on to keep his presidency alive and his ass out of a federal prison. For all the intricate plots that have circulated concerning his plans to play monkey mischief with the midterm elections, the president’s fundamental electoral strategy remains violence, or the specter thereof. He’s not depending on lawyers or on arcane parliamentary maneuvering. It is the image of masked goons smashing windows and beating up Capitol police officers. And if he can’t manage full orchestration every time, a small performance like the one in Youngstown will serve his purposes just as well. Those chants of “USA” celebrating the beating of a woman opposed to him are the music behind his life now.
It’s not that events like these are unknown to our politics. The same episodes occurred during Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign in 1972, and they were a regular feature of George Wallace’s rallies during his various campaigns throughout his career. But neither Nixon nor Wallace was as reckless as this president is. His heathen disregard for the rules and norms of government has no room for debates. It’s bloodthirsty crowds and blood-chilling cheering all the way down.