# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 198
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3943 "2016-08-09T19:58:57Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [Trump just suggested](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-executed-clinton-short-circuited) that if Hillary gets to choose judges, then there’s nothing anyone could do, except for, maybe, “Second Amendment people”. > > Yes, he’s saying that people might need to shoot Hillary Clinton to prevent her from choosing justices (or maybe shoot the judges?). One thing I love from that article is how Trump goes on about how Clinton is “wacky” for saying she “short circuited.” How he could never get away with saying “wacky” things like that, and how “they’d bring back the electric chair” if he did. Completely ignoring the fact that he says wacky things every day and only gets called on the most egregious items, and the fact that the electric chair is still in use in a handful of states. All of this in a speech where he ostensibly advocated the extrajudicial killing of a sitting president. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3944 "2016-08-09T20:14:01Z")
You know, if she gets shot now it’ll destroy the party and be a catastrophe for gun rights. The Republicans should hire their own security detail to protect her. They are more invested in her health than she is, now. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3945 "2016-08-09T20:14:12Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [Trump just suggested](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-executed-clinton-short-circuited) that if Hillary gets to choose judges, then there’s nothing anyone could do, except for, maybe, “Second Amendment people”. > > Yes, he’s saying that people might need to shoot Hillary Clinton to prevent her from choosing justices (or maybe shoot the judges?). Now, now, I’m sure in a day or two one of his flacks will get around to explaining that he clearly meant ‘people versed in Constitutional Law’. Yeah, that’s the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3946 "2016-08-09T20:17:31Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Now, now, I’m sure in a day or two one of his flacks will get around to explaining that he clearly meant ‘people versed in Constitutional Law’. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Can’t he trot out the ‘just joking’ explanation, from when he called on Russia? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3947 "2016-08-09T20:17:37Z")
Obama is going to take your guns, and then Hillary is going to take your guns _again_! ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3948 "2016-08-09T20:18:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [Trump just suggested](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-executed-clinton-short-circuited) that if Hillary gets to choose judges, then there’s nothing anyone could do, except for, maybe, “Second Amendment people”. > > Yes, he’s saying that people might need to shoot Hillary Clinton to prevent her from choosing justices (or maybe shoot the judges?). > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Trump: Second Amendment may be the only way to stop Hillary from picking her judges if she’s elected. > > [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-clinton-second-amendment-judges-guns-226833](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-clinton-second-amendment-judges-guns-226833) > > But of course that would be a horrible day if it happens… Maybe there’s something 2nd Amendment people could do? What the actual Fuck is wrong with him? Hey I never said someone should shoot her! It was only a suggestion, but I never actually said that! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3949 "2016-08-09T20:31:05Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > Maybe there’s something 2nd Amendment people could do? What the actual Fuck is wrong with him? > > Hey I never said someone should shoot her! It was only a suggestion, but I never actually said that! Back peddling has begun: > [@](#): > > But Jason Miller, Trump’s senior communications adviser, said Trump was merely talking about Second Amendment supporters large influence as a group. > > “It’s called the power of unification – 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power. And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump,” he said. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3950 "2016-08-09T20:36:15Z")
“I’ll tell you what, that will be a horrible day,” Trump clarified after that line about the ‘Second Amendment people’. Why would it be a horrible day, if what Miller says is so? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3951 "2016-08-09T20:36:31Z")
I wonder what the Secret Service procedure is when one candidate threatens another. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3952 "2016-08-09T20:42:03Z")
Post #8 in this thread (from down the page; it got to twelve replies) : [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800140](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=800140) > [@](#): > > The minute Trump started falling in the polls this week, he started to “protect himself” on two fronts, the first being the one described in this thread: laying the groundwork for a good solid excuse for losing the election. > > It’s the second that concerns me more. His second strategy appears to be calling for–in a manner he thinks will give him plausible deniability–the assassination of Hillary Clinton. > > “She’s the devil” —this is a new tack for him, and I believe it represents a new push to characterize Clinton as something other than human. This has been precisely the technique used by anti-abortion forces to gin up their less stable followers into “righteous” violence against doctors and other clinic personnel. > > You put out the idea that someone is inhuman, and you give the unhinged a “reason” to slaughter them. You make it a “virtuous” thing for them to do. > > I’m guessing that we will be hearing more along this line from Trump. He is running scared. His ego will NOT take a loss in November. Telling his followers that the process is rigged is wildly counter-productive, in that it encourages them to stay home on Election Day–but Trump can’t help himself. He can’t help trying to provide himself with an excuse. > > At the same time, I believe, he holds out hope that a loss will be avoided via a bullet or explosion (or polonium or thallium poisoning, if Putin can be persuaded to take a hand in the matter). On some level his brain is calculating that he’d be triumphantly ushered into office, if only “devil” Hillary can be removed from the scene. > > It’s worth listening closely to learn how deeply he may be clinging to this hope, and how far he may go in trying to inspire his most unbalanced fans. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3953 "2016-08-09T20:42:25Z")
I think there are some pretty clear signs now that Trump’s campaign is beginning to collapse. After his horrible week, he came into this week with some history on his side, having already climbed out of the commode more than once. However, what was different about this week, and what Trump maybe hadn’t considered, is that all eyes are now focused on him. This was probably the first time that he faced deep skepticism among voters who might be inclined to vote for him: in particular wealthy Wall Street republicans and college educated republicans (MBAs and foreign policy guru types) who might have been holding out hope that he could somehow become more presidential. However, if the reaction to his economic speech is any indication, he seems to have repulsed them rather than bringing them closer. He’s anti-trade on the one hand but doesn’t really offer any specifics for how he’s going to handle China. I honestly don’t even know why he needed to come out with an economic plan at all, considering how well he’s been doing without being specific about anything. I think Trump may have finally sunk himself. Moreover, I think there are also signs that Trump himself is beginning to realize that he’s about to collapse. Apparently he’s now reconsidering the conditions of the debates. It makes one wonder if he’ll even do a single one of them. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3954 "2016-08-09T20:43:19Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Back peddling has begun: So…the supporters of the 2nd Amendment will do what if she is elected? Unify? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3955 "2016-08-09T20:44:37Z")
I imagine [paging through the Secret Service manual](http://partiallyclips.com/comic/tractor-safety-manual/): “Ooh, there you are, Trump! Right there! ‘Do not threaten the life of another candidate.’ You’re famous!” ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3956 "2016-08-09T20:45:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “I’ll tell you what, that will be a horrible day,” Trump clarified after that line about the ‘Second Amendment people’. Why would it be a horrible day, if what Miller says is so? The genius of him speaking in such a rambling way is that the ‘horrible day’ can either be understood by his supporters to mean the day that Hillary is elected, or can be used to plausibly deny that he is suggesting and calling for violence. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3957 "2016-08-09T20:49:51Z")
Well, [this guy understood what Donald was saying](https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/763100791423074304). ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3958 "2016-08-09T20:51:06Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > You know, if she gets shot now it’ll destroy the party and be a catastrophe for gun rights. The Republicans should hire their own security detail to protect her. They are more invested in her health than she is, now. No, no, no…don’t be ridiculous. Trump never suggested that somebody shoot _Hillary_; that would be terrible. That would be absurd. He suggested somebody shoot the judge. (well, his incoherent ramblings can just as plausibly be parsed that way.) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3959 "2016-08-09T20:55:12Z")
And in Trump campaign headquarters, the sign on the wall that says: “\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ GAFFE-FREE HOURS” just got re-set to zero. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3960 "2016-08-09T21:31:33Z")
Any other candidate, this would be it. Done. Close the door, make sure you turn the lights off. But it won’t be. Can anyone reasonably deny what he is inferring? “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?” History has a way of repeating itself. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3961 "2016-08-09T21:36:37Z")
Motherfucker should just drop out now. What he’s doing is blowing a dog whistle for all the deranged to get the message that they should assassinate Hillary. This is beyond despicable. So disgusting to see one of his spokeswomen on CNN smiling like a fucking crocodile trying to pass this off like a call to political action. Bullshit, this is an appeal for violence. He can’t beat her, so someone should kill her. Hope the Secret Service throws his sorry ass in cuffs. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/3962 "2016-08-09T22:01:33Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Well, [this guy understood what Donald was saying](https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/76310079142e3074304). The lady next to him thought it was fucking hilarious, didn’t she? I do believe that Trump’s favorite amendment is Two Amendment. He knows what he’s talking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=197) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=199)