# Donald Trump and the runup to the 2024 election

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Tags:** trump\
**Created:** [August 3, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196 "2024-08-03T16:49:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 32

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/621 "2024-10-22T18:31:08Z")

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I have said before I expect there could be violent attacks in swing states where the counting goes beyond Election Day. If DJT starts ranting about how the Democrats are cheating or switching votes I could see some violence likely at locations where the count is being done.

[Roger Stone has experience with this from 2000.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Brothers_riot) This time I could see him inciting something much more violent in certain states.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if DJT tries to get meetings of electors disrupted in swing states as well. Anything that could let them cast doubt on certification.

I agree you are correct a repeat of 1/6/21 in DC is out of the question.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/622 "2024-10-22T18:33:13Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> Last time’s violence will be well guarded against.

I fully expect the statehouses of battleground states to being essential besieged by Trumpers in an effort to disrupt election certifications.

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/623 "2024-10-22T18:53:06Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> What exact violence are you expecting him to be able to incite. Last time’s violence will be well guarded against.

By who? I expect many of the police to be _part_ of any violence.

What I expect is everything from attempts to intimidate or attack voters, to terrorism, random killing; all going on for years. And that’s if Harris wins, it’s much worse if Trump wins.

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**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/624 "2024-10-22T19:12:55Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> I fully expect the statehouses of battleground states to being essential besieged by Trumpers in an effort to disrupt election certifications.

In which case I fully expect law enforcement to make mass arrests and/or open fire. Law and order, dontcha know.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/625 "2024-10-22T19:22:24Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> I expect many of the police to be _part_ of any violence.

While on the job in official capacity or on their own time?

I expect that some of the angry gophers will be police officers, and that police in official capacity (and national guard if it came to that) would be doing their jobs against the violence, including that done by those who as a job are police.

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/626 "2024-10-22T19:31:38Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> While on the job in official capacity or on their own time?

On the job. They’ve been consistently pro-fascist.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/627 "2024-10-22T20:27:29Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> On the job. They’ve been consistently pro-fascist.

That hasn’t happened in the past, why would that suddenly start now? Where on-duty law enforcement says “Hell with my career!” and joins in with rioters? Why would _this_ be the moment this unprecedented thing happens?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/628 "2024-10-22T20:29:01Z")

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Cats and Dogs living together!  
Mass hysteria!

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/629 "2024-10-22T20:32:03Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> That hasn’t happened in the past, why would that suddenly start now?

But it has? The police have been [cooperating](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/09/california-police-white-supremacists-counter-protest) with the neofascist mobs ever since Trump got elected, and are well known for bigoted brutality in general. It’s [pervasive](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/prevalence-white-supremacists-law-enforcement-demands-drastic-change-2022-05-12/).

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/630 "2024-10-22T20:37:26Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> But it has? The police have been [cooperating](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/09/california-police-white-supremacists-counter-protest) with the neofascist mobs ever since Trump got elected, and are well known for bigoted brutality in general.

Okay, so you’re speaking figuratively and not literally. Because they weren’t literally part of the violence during the riots. And from that sense, sure, I guess there wouldn’t be anything new there.

I got the inference that you were suggesting that rioters were going to show up and the cops tasked with protecting property and people would start high-fiving them, pull out their guns and/or clubs, and get directly involved in smashing stuff up and attacking things or people. That’s what being “part of the violence” means in the context of this discussion.

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/631 "2024-10-22T20:40:35Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Because they weren’t literally part of the violence during the riots.

Of course they were; the police are violently bigoted _all the time._ In order them to not be violent during the riots they would have to _stop._

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/632 "2024-10-22T20:41:17Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> Of course they were; the police are violently bigoted _all the time._

I think you’re using a meaning of the term “violent” that I am unfamiliar with.

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/633 "2024-10-22T20:44:57Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> I think you’re using a meaning of the term “violent” that I am unfamiliar with.

Beating and shooting and otherwise assaulting people isn’t “violent” to you? And that’s without getting to things like “sodomize with a nightstick”".

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**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/634 "2024-10-22T20:46:12Z")

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Remember when Trump demanded that his followers raise hell outside the courthouse during his trial?

And how the result was that about ten people showed up a block away?

Trump has succeeded in whipping up an angry mob exactly once and has failed every other time he’s tried it. Y’all are overestimating his followers’ willingness to actually stick their necks out.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/635 "2024-10-22T20:56:01Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> Beating and shooting and otherwise assaulting people isn’t “violent” to you?

I’m talking about in the midst of the violence that is being alleged. Cops being violent in general is an unfortunate reality and nothing new; in fact it used to be even worse in the past (as hard as that might be to believe considering how bad it is today).

Note we’re solely talking about violence in the context of _riots_. Cops targeting individuals or groups for political reasons is a tangent from that. Is there the possibility of a cop pulling over an election official and intimidating them? Sure, maybe even coming up with a pretext to beat them and toss them in jail over some phony claim of resisting or something. But that’s not the kind of thing we were talking about in this thread.

Don’t forget that we are specifically talking about protections against rioters. Cops being bigoted and attacking people in some other context, while awful, is irrelevant.

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/636 "2024-10-22T22:09:42Z")

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Well, it looks like even Elon’s “giveaway” wasn’t entirely true. Does this make it more illegal? Less? It’s dirty, no matter what the law says.

My favorite quote: “I was pumping my arms in the air,” he said. “Actually meeting Elon, I kind of forgot about the money for a little bit … He’s such an influential figure for guys my age who are working hard every day.”

> **[Elon Musk’s $1 million prize winners are Pennsylvania Republicans who already...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-prize-winners-legal-b2633632.html)**
>
> The first three winners voted early, days or weeks before the billionaire’s scheme

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/637 "2024-10-23T00:03:57Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> In order them to not be violent during the riots they would have to _stop._

Since you were offering an answer to my question allow me to clarify. The question was about the possibility of Trump inciting violence in response to losing the election. Continued baseline policing, be it pro-fascist, or whatever, is … baseline. Not violence in response to a call to beautiful action against a steal made by Trump.

Posters believe there would be mass violence targeting “statehouses of battleground states to being essential besieged by Trumpers in an effort to disrupt election certifications”, at locations of vote counts, so on.

Assume that more than few expletive shouting mouse turds show up. Maybe some of them off duty police officers. Capable of actually causing harm to life and limb. Is it your position that the on duty police officers tasked with protected the statehouses and such will instead join in with the rioters in attacking the state house, or even just step aside to let them do their thing?

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**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/638 "2024-10-23T00:29:26Z")

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> [@DSeid](#):
>
> or even just step aside to let them do their thing

That’s my concern. Did you follow the Convoy thing that occupied downtown Ottawa a couple of years ago? There were a lot of cops who just stood by and let shit happen for weeks. They only really took action after a bunch of civilians started doing their job for them, blocking more covoyers from entering downtown, which embarrassed the hell out of them.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/639 "2024-10-23T00:46:59Z")

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> [@Horatius](#):
>
> There were a lot of cops who just stood by and let shit happen for weeks. They only really took action after a bunch of civilians started doing their job for them, blocking more covoyers from entering downtown, which embarrassed the hell out of them.

From what I understand, these weren’t rogue cops who were sympathetic to the protestors and trying to enable them, they were following orders from superiors.

> **[Police directed convoy protesters downtown, officer tells trial | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/police-directed-convoy-protesters-downtown-officer-tells-trial-1.7000185)**
>
> Ottawa police directed protesters taking part in what became the Freedom Convoy to the city's downtown core, and had information the truckers could stay for a prolonged period, court heard Wednesday.

> **[Ottawa Police Service response to convoy protest was deficient: Emergencies...](https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-police-service-response-convoy-protest-was-deficient-poec-report)**
>
> Justice Paul Rouleau’s report noted numerous OPS deficiencies, starting with a failure of intelligence gathering before protesters arrived.

This doesn’t come anywhere near the level that is being alleged, where cops would gladly allow a violent mob to do its thing because they were sympathetic. This is a really bad example.

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**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/1005196/640 "2024-10-23T01:21:15Z")

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John Kelly is on tape calling Trump a fascist and commenting on his admiration for Hitler.

> <https://x.com/Acyn/status/1848894130291937487>

> <https://x.com/Acyn/status/1848893653093360069>

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