Right-Wing MAGA Violence Killed The Hortmans
Don’t let Trump’s chaos distract from the heartbreak in Minnesota.
Hundreds of people gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday for the funerals of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert, after a Trump-loving MAGA maniac terrorist assassinated them on June 14, leaving their two adult children, Colin and Sophie, without parents. The assassin also seriously wounded Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who are still in the hospital.
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Conspicuously missing from the funeral, President Donald J. Trump, who spent his Saturday golfing with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and GOP Sens. Eric Schmitt, Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham at his northern Virginia club. Or any Republicans from the House or Senate, though Republican State Rep. Lisa Demuth paid tribute. Nor did That Man even call Governor Tim Walz with condolences. Instead he insulted him. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”
It is traditionally a politician’s role to offer words of comfort in times of grief and fear, but Trump has always reveled in any opportunity to compound those things, and let the world know how very few fucks he gives. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature, and his supporters love the way he gives them all license to be cruel in His Holy Name.
The MAGA propaganda machine went into gear immediately to blame the assassin as left-wing, such as sick fuck GOP Sen. Mike Lee posting “this is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.” Trump supporters love lying in everyone’s faces, because it reinforces their power. You know all the hate groups on Telegram thought that was a real kneeslapper, Mike Lee is so BASED and really owned the libs with that one!
And, the way it plays out is, blaming Democrats doesn’t just excuse Republicans’ behavior, but also justifies more violence against Democrats as preemptive self-defense.
Vance Boelter, the alleged killer of the Hortmans and their dog, was a Republican anti-abortion extremist, nothing ambiguous about it, with a hit list of 72 other targets, including Democratic lawmakers and family planning clinics. He couldn’t have been any more of a Trump-supporter right-wing extremist if Grok AI designed and 3D printed him. And as even Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot knows, right-wing violence in the US far outpaces that of any other kind of terrorist group. Musk’s own hellsite is an endless font of the hate speech associated with it.
From The Center For Strategic International Studies: “Right-wing extremists perpetrated two thirds of the attacks and plots in the United States in 2019 and over 90 percent between January 1 and May 8, 2020.” And it has been ramping up, too. Between 1994 and 2019, right-wing extremists were responsible for perpetrating “just” 57 percent of violent terrorist attacks. And white supremacy is the most common motivation.
After the Hortmans’ murders, the news cycle was quickly taken over with Trump trying to bomb Iran. But no, Trump supporters, we aren’t moving on yet, because this was on all of you. ALL OF YOU. Trump has always pushed violent rhetoric and condoned violent acts and the dehumanizing of anyone who disagrees with him, and everybody knows it.
The Atlantic has compiled 40 examples of Trump’s more overt violent rhetoric, which include panting for hecklers to get roughed up or punched in the face; wishing waterboarding would come back; praising then-Representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter; hankering to shoot protesters in the knees; telling Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”; openly fantasizing about executing Gen. Mark Milley for treason; or about Liz Cheney with guns in her face; using dehumanizing language for Democrats and immigrants like “vermin”; and announcing “I am your retribution.”
Just four days after a crazed white supremacist went on a shooting spree at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22, Trump remarked, “I think my rhetoric brings people together,” one of the truer things he’s ever said. In 2020, ABC News found 54 cases of violence where the perpetrators directly cited Trump as their inspiration, unprompted.
Remember how they cheered and joked about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi?
And, of course, January 6 was a trademark example of the violent lawlessness his knuckle-dragging supporters crave, with the coup-er tweeting out the encouraging words, “Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” while sipping a Diet Coke and watching television as his supporters smeared poop on the walls and built a gallows.
According to the New York Times, Trump not-disapprovingly told a campaign meeting last year that if it was up to Stephen Miller, there would only be 100 million people living in the US, and all of them would look like Miller (DEAR JEEBUS). The point that Dear Leader and his toadies decide that it’s time for an era of peace will come never.
It’s scary shit. Don’t let anybody sugarcoat it.
[CSIS / Atlantic / New York Times archive link]
A nation of 100 million Stephen Millers... and none of them ever got laid again. So many women would self-deport, it would make your head spin.
I'm dwelling on the fact that the people who mattered came out to honour them. An act of respect and love. It's good to see.