President Donald Trump early Thursday boosted a comment from the founder of the group Cowboys for Trump that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”
In his midnight tweet, the president responded to a video clip of Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin making the remark, tweeting from his phone: “Thank you Cowboys. See you in New Mexico!”
Thank you Cowboys. See you in New Mexico! https://t.co/aCRJeskUA8
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2020
According to the Sante Fe New Mexican, Griffin’s comment came in a speech that took place at a rally at church in the city of Truth or Consequences.
After the “dead Democrat” remark was met with cheers, Griffin couched the comment, adding, “I don’t say that in the physical sense.”
“I say that in the political sense because the Democrat agenda and policy is anti-American right now,” he claimed. “Our country is coming to a place if you love or hate America.”
Cowboys for Trump — which describes itself as an anti-choice, anti-Endangered Species Act, pro-gun, pro-fossil fuels organization — first shared video of the speech on social media last week, sparking calls from Democrats that Griffin resign.
Though Griffin suggested in an interview with The Daily Beast published Wednesday that he “could’ve chosen a different verbiage” at the rally, he decided to use the same exact language with the outlet.
[I]n the interview, Griffin also repeated his claim that “the only good Democrat is a dead one” and signaled that he still thinks some top Democrats—such as governors Ralph Northam (D-Va.) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.)—could be guilty of treason and the punishment that comes with it.
“You get to pick your poison: you either go before a firing squad, or you get the end of the rope,” Griffin said.
In the hours since Trump retweeted the video, the president has taken to social media to tweet to foment outrage about the Obama administration, the Mueller report, and Whitmer’s coronavirus containment policies.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the US from Covid-19 has now passed 100,000 and reporting showed 2.1 million Americans filed for unemployment last week.
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