Several Republican politicians, including a state senator in Georgia and a former Alaska governor, have suggested that civil war could result if Donald Trump is prosecuted for his various criminal trials. They argue that prosecuting Trump would be treason and have warned that conservatives may need to take up arms. The author notes that these kinds of inflammatory rhetoric from political leaders risk inciting violence, as evidenced by those involved in the January 6th attack who echoed such messages. Even Trump himself alluded to the possibility of further unrest, praising the “passion” and “love” of the January 6th mob. As political divisions continue intensifying in the U.S., explicitly calling for civil war is irresponsible and could have dangerous consequences, according to the author.
One thing that still heartens me is that the right so abhors violence still (especially against the police) that there is a rampent conspiracy that all the violence at Jan 6th was staged Antifa actors not right wingers. So that’s good that the instincts are not that violence against the police is good.