political rhetoric

Trump’s Death Threat Rhetoric Sends Nation into Crisis

November 24, 2025 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

President Donald Trump has again shocked the conscience of the nation with his latest outburst. This time, the president accused six Democratic lawmakers of sedition and declared their conduct “punishable by DEATH” as he reposted calls on social media to “hang them” and demanded their arrest. The president’s words landed with a violent weight, particularly as he continues to publicly support and pardon individuals convicted of attacking the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump himself has long faced allegations of encouraging sedition by praising the rioters who erected gallows and hunted his own vice president.

The president escalated his attacks after the lawmakers, all veterans or former intelligence officers, released a video urging members of the military to refuse unlawful orders. Trump responded with a barrage of posts accusing them of treason and sedition and sharing messages declaring “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD.” In one post, Trump wrote that their behavior was “punishable by DEATH,” calling their message “really bad, and Dangerous to our Country.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar released a statement that said political violence must never be normalized. “Political violence has no place in America,” they stated. “Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed.”

Members of Congress across the country denounced Trump’s language. Representative Norma Torres said the president’s words represented a direct threat to democracy. “The President of the United States is calling for Members of Congress to be executed,” Torres stated. “We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.”

The six Democratic lawmakers at the center of Trump’s attacks include Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, and Chris Deluzio. In a joint statement, they reaffirmed their oath to the Constitution. “No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation,” they stated. “This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans.”

Trump’s accusations arrive as concerns grow about his willingness to issue illegal orders and expand the use of military force both abroad and domestically. A CNN analysis noted that Democrats are responding to a pattern in which Trump has repeatedly floated illegal military actions. The analysis cited his past suggestions involving torture, shooting protesters in the legs, and ordering strikes that violated international law.

Lawmakers who served in uniform said the president’s charges distort the law. Maine Senator Angus King said the Democratic lawmakers simply reminded service members of a basic principle. “All these people said was common knowledge,” King stated. “Military officers are not required to follow illegal orders. That is simply a statement of fact.”

The reaction among members of Congress has been swift, wide, and unusually unified. Even Republican Senator Susan Collins condemned Trump’s words. “The president should not be calling for the death of members of Congress because of what they say,” Collins stated. “Such incendiary comments risk sparking political violence.”

Texas Democrat Al Green, who has repeatedly sought Trump’s impeachment, said allowing this rhetoric to stand threatens constitutional order. “On our watch, we refuse to allow the demise of our democracy,” Green said on the House floor as he renewed his call for impeachment proceedings.

As the warnings mount, the six lawmakers targeted by the president said they will not retreat from their oath. “In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage,” they stated. “We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated. Don’t Give Up the Ship.”

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Say Nation Is in Political Crisis, Quinnipiac Poll Finds

September 26, 2025 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

Concept, American flag on cracked background

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The nation trembles, and the numbers do not lie. A new Quinnipiac University national poll reveals that 79 percent of voters believe the United States is in the grip of a political crisis, a judgment cast in the shadow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Across partisan lines, the consensus is chilling: 93 percent of Democrats, 84 percent of independents, and even 60 percent of Republicans agree the country is spiraling. “The Kirk assassination lays bare raw, bipartisan concerns about where the country is headed,” said Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy. Seventy-one percent of voters now call politically motivated violence a “very serious” problem, a sharp rise from just 54 percent in June. The voices of politicians, amplified and sharpened, are seen by 82 percent of respondents as feeding the violence that stalks the streets and corrodes the public square. A majority—58 percent—no longer believe the temperature of political rhetoric can be lowered. Instead, more than half of voters expect political violence to worsen in the coming years. Malloy captured the mood bluntly. “From a perceived assault on freedom of speech to the fragility of the democracy, a shudder of concern and pessimism rattles a broad swath of the electorate,” he insisted. Freedom of speech, once assumed inviolable, now carries the weight of doubt. Fifty-three percent of voters said they are pessimistic about its protection in America. Just six months ago, the numbers were reversed.

The very machinery of democracy is also under suspicion. Fifty-three percent of voters say the system is not working. Democrats and independents share that belief by strong margins, while Republicans—mirroring their president’s claims—remain largely convinced it functions. President Donald Trump’s approval rating stands at 38 percent, with 54 percent disapproving. Disapproval is strong on nearly every front—foreign policy, the economy, immigration, and gun violence. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, fares little better: 54 percent of voters disapprove of his performance, and nearly six in ten say they have little or no confidence in the medical information he provides. The crisis extends beyond politics. Asked about the economy, 53 percent of voters pointed to the price of food and consumer goods as their greatest worry, while another 28 percent named housing costs. And when it comes to the fate of those convicted of murder, 55 percent favor life in prison without parole over the death penalty.

Gun violence, foreign conflicts, and the direction of democracy itself weigh heavily. Eighty-three percent of voters believe political leaders are more interested in blaming others than finding solutions. The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,276 registered voters nationwide from September 18–21, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. “Nearly 80 percent of registered voters feel they are witnessing a political crisis, seven in ten say political violence is a very serious problem, and a majority say this discord won’t go away anytime soon,” Malloy noted.

The Violence Trump Claims to Fear Occurs Mostly in Red States

September 8, 2025 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Donald Trump continues to attack cities and jurisdictions heavily populated by minorities, often painting them as crime-ridden and unsafe despite evidence showing overall declines in many categories of crime. Nowhere is this tension clearer than in Washington, D.C., where residents face relentless scrutiny from Trump while Red States — many with far less diversity — quietly struggle with some of the highest murder rates in the nation.

The District of Columbia recorded the nation’s highest murder rate in 2023 at 39 per 100,000 residents, with 265 murders. Despite local efforts to address violence, Trump routinely depicts the city as unlivable. To many residents, the greater tragedy is not just the crime itself but the reality that the capital of the United States now looks like an occupied third-world country, with National Guard and federal troops visibly stationed throughout the city. Washingtonians, who have already been denied full congressional representation, have become political pawns in Trump’s rhetoric. What Trump avoids mentioning is that several Republican-led states top the list of the deadliest places. Louisiana had a murder rate of 14.5 per 100,000, recording 663 killings in 2023. New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas — all governed by Republicans in recent years — also posted murder rates higher than 9 per 100,000 residents.

In Missouri, another GOP stronghold, the murder rate stood at 9.1 per 100,000 with 564 murders, disproportionately concentrated in cities like St. Louis and Kansas City. South Carolina, Alaska, and Georgia each ranked high, while Mississippi, often touted by conservatives as a bastion of “traditional values,” has at times led the nation in murder rates. Meanwhile, states with larger minority populations that Trump targets — including Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Maryland — often have lower murder rates than many of these Red States. Illinois, home to Chicago, recorded a rate of 6.56 per 100,000, below Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Critics argue this is no accident. Trump’s fixation on minority-heavy jurisdictions is part of a long-standing strategy of scapegoating urban areas with large Black and Latino populations, while sidestepping the systemic problems facing states where his support is strongest. “Murders were far more common in [Mississippi] than they were nationwide,” the World Population Review reported, with Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, and Arkansas following close behind. The report’s numbers show that while Trump fixates on minority-heavy cities, the deadliest conditions are playing out in Red States that rarely draw his attention. “Murders are disproportionately concentrated in urban areas, especially in New Orleans and Baton Rouge,” the researchers concluded.