The former president arrived in Miami on Monday afternoon, as did many of his supporters. Donald Trump, federally indicted for endangering national security by keeping top-secret documents on nuclear and defense affairs in his custody after leaving the White House, has to appear before a court in Miami today, and the authorities are on high alert, since the increasingly violent rhetoric of the Trump side raises fears of new outbreaks.
First modification:
With our correspondent in Miami, David Thomson
Some elected Republicans are comparing Donald Trump’s impeachment to an act of war. “An eye for an eye,” Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs tweeted, while others threatened retaliation: “Retribution is on the way,” posted Kimberley Guilfoye, the fiancée of Trump’s eldest son, Don Junior.
“If you want to stop President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me and 75 million Americans,” Kari Lake thundered before a crowd in Georgia. “And I want to tell you,” added the former candidate for governor in Arizona, “that most of us are members of the NRA,” that is, “we are armed.”
Calls for demonstrations
This increasingly violent rhetoric is reminiscent of Trump’s verbal escalation in the days leading up to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and worries Florida authorities. Once again, Trump and his supporters are broadcasting calls to demonstrate before the federal court in Miami where the former president must appear this Tuesday.
“Take your flags, your caps, your Trump shirts, your megaphones and your love for President Trump,” reads one of the calls to demonstrate peacefully. On Monday night, police had begun securing the area around the federal courthouse in case of an explosion.
However, some of the former president’s supporters are more pessimistic about Donald Trump’s political future. His former Secretary of Justice has read the 49-page indictment and considers it damning. “I was surprised by the sensitivity and the number of these documents. And the charges against him for violating the Espionage Act by hiding classified documents are strong. Of course, we will have to wait and see what the defense says and if everything is verified, but I think that even if it’s only half true, it’s cooked up,” said Bill Barr.
“This time they have it. I don’t see how you can get out of this. But his true supporters will continue to support him. They are blind.”