In the wake of the Manhattan grand jury former President Donald Trump’s indictment, several Fox News personalities spoke openly about the violent reactions they expected from viewers. While some are wary of the physical response, others love the idea.
The network’s star anchor Tucker Carlson said during a prime time slot Thursday night that the combination of the Trump and White House indictments plead The humanity of trans people felt like a provocation.
“It’s almost like you’re forcing them to react,” Carlson said. “‘We think he’s demoralized and passive, let’s see if that’s the case.’ At what point do we conclude that they are doing this to produce a reaction?
The guest, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, agreed. “If you’re skating on thin ice, you don’t take a hammer to the thin ice and crack it.”
The assumption that the critical mass of America is ready to act violently on the prosecution of Trump has, so far, not been carried out. But the cable networks’ constant hype about impending violence can have the effect of turning predictions into permission.
At times, the rhetoric veered away from ominous predictions and became more direct. Later in Carlson’s broadcast, commentator Jason Whitlock said he was “ready for whatever’s going to happen, and I hope everyone else out there watching this show – I hope you’re ready for whatever’s going to happen. If that’s what you want, let’s do it.”
“It feels like this is not the behavior of people who want the current system to continue,” Carlson said in response.
The agitation is not limited to Carlson’s show.
“This country is not going to stand by, and people better be careful, and that’s all I’m going to say,” Jesse Watters said after news of the indictment broke.
Dan Bongino, another network personality, said that America lives in a “police state” and recalls the time he spent in a country that had “problems with the democratic process.” Bongino said military officials in the country told him: “Whoever has the gun has the power.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to be there now: If you have a gun, you have power,” Bongino said.
Some network guests tried to blame the violence on Democrats.
“I think it’s bait to have MAGA Republicans overreact to incite some sort of violence, or outlash,” former GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz said of Trump’s indictment. “They really want that to happen.”
Former Fox star Glenn Beck, during a brief appearance, told the audience: “What this, I believe, is trying to burn this country down. They want violence from the beginning.
Some people are clearly calling for calm. Sean Hannity warned his audience: “The liberal media, they always say, ‘Republicans are going to be violent! Conservatives are going to be violent!’ I want to say to every conservative, every Republican, every supporter of Donald Trump: Don’t take the bait. We are peaceful, law-abiding, God-fearing people. You are the people who make this country great.”
But many others do not give such warnings. Ned Ryun, a right-wing activist and CEO of the conservative activist group American Majority, told Carlson that he believes America is no longer a constitutional republic, and urged the Republican attorney general to participate in “lawfare” – or “law as a weapon.”
“We’re in a cold war, a civil war era in this country, where we have to decide and comply with an insured damage policy,” Ryun said. “Democrats are launching nukes at us, we better decide we’re going to launch nukes again until they stop.”
If Republicans don’t fight back, Ryun warned, “we’re going to go into a one-party state, a one-party system, which ends up being authoritarianism.”
“It’s probably not the best time to give up an AR-15, and I think most people know that,” Carlson responded.