In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, President Donald Trump said that Black Lives Matter is a “Marxist organization.” He said that the name of the organization is “discriminatory.”
“The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, ‘That’s a terrible name.’ It’s so discriminatory. It’s bad for Black people. It’s bad for everybody.”
Read More: Trump to visit Kenosha Tuesday, potentially stoking tensions
The president spent much of his interview with the controversial television host decrying the protests that are taking place in many American cities. Most protests have been peaceful rebukes of the police killings of Black people, however, conservatives have painted the protests as anarchist takeovers.
“Biden won’t calm things down. They will take over. They will have won,” Trump said about his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. “If Biden gets in, they will have won.”
“They will have taken over your cities. It’s a revolution,” he continued. “You understand that. It’s a revolution. And the people of this country will not stand for that.”
Read More: Trump, Portland mayor blame each other for violence after protester shot
Both the president and his Fox News compatriots have warned of leftist mobs taking over American cities. In early June, Tucker Carlson offered a dark message: “This may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through, but it is definitely not about Black lives.”
“Remember that when they come for you,” he said. “And at this rate, they will.”
A Fox News spokesperson claimed that Carlson was referring to Democrats, not Black protesters, but that was not clear.
Read More: Biden says he spoke with Jacob Blake’s family in statement on shooting
On Monday night, the president continued his campaign of fear. In a news conference at the White House, he refused to condemn alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse. Instead, he insinuated that the 17-year-old who killed two people and wounded a third may have been acting in self-defense.
Earlier Monday, Democratic presidential nominee Biden said in a speech that the violence taking place in American streets is Trump’s doing. “The president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can’t stop the violence because, for years, he’s fomented it.”
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