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President Donald Trump asked about deploying the military to oversee a new election in a White House meeting on Friday, according to the NYT. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/trump-sidney-powell-voter-fraud.html#click=https://t.co/wUB8ZMrPxp
Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn, who have publicly advocated for Trump to declare martial law rather than admit his loss to Joe Biden, were part of the meeting. Other advisers rejected the option as having no constitutional authority.
Trump’s stubborn refusal to accept defeat is not just coming from his ego. His groundless belief that he won the election in a landslide and that it was “stolen” from him gets constant affirmation from right-wing leaders and his religious-right advisers.
A group of right-wing leaders with close ties to Trump and the GOP signed a letter this month falsely asserting, “There is no doubt President Donald J. Trump is the lawful winner of the presidential election. Joe Biden is not president-elect.” https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-leaders-join-call-for-state-legislatures-to-overrule-voters-and-give-election-to-trump/
A Tea Party group called for martial law in a Dec. 1 Washington Times ad; it was been amplified by attorney Lin Wood, Powell and Flynn https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/pro-trump-attorney-lin-wood-and-pardoned-michael-flynn-call-for-trump-to-declare-martial-law/
The right-wing media outlet Epoch Times, which prominently covers “Stop the Steal” events, began promoting a “documentary” last week that calls for Trump to take “decisive emergency actions.” https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/right-wing-epoch-times-urges-trump-to-take-decisive-emergency-actions-to-deter-attack-on-election/
Trump’s religious-right advisers tell him he was anointed by God, his divine assignment is not complete, and that God’s prophets declared he would have a second term; they portray the push to keep Trump in office as spiritual warfare. https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/michael-flynn-joins-prayer-call-with-prophets-who-decree-god-will-give-trump-victory/
In particular, Paula White, who was a Trump spiritual adviser for years before joining the White House, declared God’s intention to keep Trump in office and denounced demonic forces she said are trying to derail his reelection https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/paula-white-asks-god-to-override-will-of-man-and-keep-trump-in-office-her-son-urges-god-to-bring-rage-and-fury-against-those-who-resist-him/
Pro-Trump Pentecostal leaders continue to tell followers that the election is “not over,” and that God will yet intervene to keep Trump in the White House.
The zealously pro-Trump media platform Charisma and its CEO Stephen Strang are still promoting conspiracy theories about the election, which Strang calls “theft” https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/strang-report/rodney-howard-browne-jR_reNfVEsA/
The religious right and far-right elements of Trump’s base converged in D.C. the weekend of Dec. 12. Trump acknowledged them with a helicopter fly-over. https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ecumenical-pro-trump-cult-of-personality-brings-extremism-to-national-mall/
Flynn was greeted like a rock star at pro-Trump events in D.C. during a weekend that featured both rhetorical and literal violence from Trump supporters alleging a stolen election https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/violence-both-literal-and-rhetorical-marks-right-wing-convergence-on-washington-dc/
At Dec. 12 “prayer rally” organized by "Stop the Steal” activists, Oath Keepers' Stewart Rhodes urged Trump to mobilize “trusted military units” – or he said militias would have to take things into their own hands in a “much more bloody war.” https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-calls-for-bloody-war-if-trump-doesnt-invoke-insurrection-act/
Organizers of the “Let the Church ROAR” rally were seemingly untroubled by Rhodes’ call for violence. Emcee Eric Metaxas responded on stage, “This guy’s keepin’ it real, folks. And video of Rhodes’ speech is featured on the Jericho March website. https://jerichomarch.org/
Rhodes repeated his demand for Trump to act—and his warning about a “desperate revolution/civil war” against a Biden administration, in an open letter to Trump posted on Oath Keepers’ website Dec. 14. https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/oath-keepers-stewart-rhodes-repeats-demand-that-trump-declare-martial-law-to-avoid-militia-led-civil-war/
Note: there’s overlap between religious-right and QAnon crowds, e.g. conspiracy theorist and Seven Mountains Dominionist Johnny Enlow declared Dec. 11 that God told him Trump got 88 million votes and won 45 states, including NY and California. https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/god-told-johnny-enlow-trump-got-88-million-votes-won-45-states-including-california-and-new-york/
On Saturday, the Arizona GOP chairwoman joined the anti-democracy brigades calling on Trump to "Cross the Rubicon" rather than admit defeat https://twitter.com/kelliwardaz/status/1340475397666836480?s=20
The Army Secretary and Army Chief of Staff released a statement affirming that there is no role for the military in determining the outcome of the election. Very welcome, but terrifying that they felt a need to do so https://twitter.com/rabrowne75/status/1340395308354826241?s=20
