In addition to previewing the groups he can be expected to go after in a second term—possibly with military force—Trump also suggested he’s got a plan to make it back to the White House in the event the votes don’t go his way. “We can take the Senate pretty easily, and I think with our little secret we’re gonna do really well with the House, right?” Trump said, speaking to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was in the audience. “Our little secret is having a big impact. He and I have a secret—we’ll tell you what it is when the race is over.”
Anyway, yeah, this as as clear a warning as we’re going to get.
*It’s important to note that after he took the stage on Sunday, Trump did not disavow any of the remarks that people had made before him, which he of course could have. As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had only spoken out against the line about Puerto Rico.
**A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said, of the “floating island of garbage” line, that “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” That claim would be more believable if Trump (1) hadn’t treated Puerto Rico as an inconvenience when he was president (2) hadn’t reportedly tried to trade Puerto Rico for Greenland and (3) didn’t himself speak using the same dehumanizing language.
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