Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif) has accused President Trump of trying to launch a civil war.
Trump's longtime enemy, California Democrats, said the early floods of presidential policy — the destructive tariffs, mass shootings of federal employees, and Elon Musk's empowerment thwarting the government and the services it offers could seem like a coincidence on their surface. But behind them there is a unified theory, she said: Trump wants to incite violence.
“This president puts us in a position where hungry people are on the streets. Nonprofits who were waiting for checks are not going to get them. Elderly people waiting for social security checks won't get them. If poor families with children don't get what they think the government agrees to do.”
“So, what is Trump expecting when that happens? Ah, I believe he expects violence. I think he expects conflict. I think he's working towards civil war.”
Waters went on to say Trump's efforts would fail. Democrats will protest and speak out, organize and take them to the streets, she said. However, the party, particularly the party of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where she is a senior member — takes bait and is not provoked by violence.
“Like Dr. Martin Luther King, he told us to take responsibility and do so. He taught us to organize and protest, but he taught us non-violence,” she said.
“He'll get closer and closer to our faces. We have to take real responsibility. We have to pray. We have to ask God to help us remember what Martin Luther King said to us. “Because if we're stupid enough to do something like that, we don't know what's waiting for us in our background.”
Trump has long been cheating on the notion that civil war is being brewed in America. During his first round each in his first term, he encouraged comments from the conservative pastor. In 2001, he encouraged thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to protest Congress' recognition of 2020 election defeat.
Recently, after Trump was convicted of 34 felony charges last year in connection with payment of donations to porn stars, he shared another post on social media, predicting his return to 1776.
Rep. Yvette Clark (DN.Y.), chairman of the Black Caucus, emphasized that Waters is speaking for himself, not for the entire Democrat. Still, Clark did not rule out the possibility of violent conflict as a result of Trump's conflict policy.
“It's very clear that what Donald Trump is doing now is having a strong impact on the communities we represent,” Clark told reporters in Leesburg, Virginia.
“We have yet to see if that will end in the civil war.”
