President Donald Trump has sunk to a new low by comparing impeachment proceedings to a lynching.
Politico reports Trump made the inflammatory comment on the platform he typically uses to spew his mouth diarrhea: Twitter.
So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
“So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights,” he wrote. “All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here — a lynching. But we will WIN!”
The tweet is the first time he’s used the word during his presidency. Unsurprisingly, the comments did not go over well with people with sense.
“I really believe this man is prone to inflammatory statements, and that is one word no president ought to apply to himself,” House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn told CNN.
“I’ve studied presidential history quite a bit, and I don’t know if we’ve ever seen anything quite like this. Andrew Johnson never would’ve described what was happening to him this way, and certainly Bill Clinton didn’t, nor did Nixon. This president is hopefully an anomaly.”
Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black politician in Congress, also highlighted the racial implications of the word.
“I’m a product of the South. I know the history of that word. That is a word that we ought to be very, very careful about using,” he continued.
Others took to Twitter to express their discontent.
Lynching is a horrific stain on our country's history, and it is beyond disgraceful for Donald Trump to invoke one to avoid being held accountable for his crimes.
Nobody is above the law, not even the president of the United States.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 22, 2019
Thousands of innocent African-Americans were murdered during the lynching epidemic.
They were viciously slaughtered because of the color of their skin.
The House impeachment inquiry is mandated by the Constitution.
Keep. Your. Historically. Ignorant. Mouth. Shut. https://t.co/g09aukk0Uf
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) October 22, 2019
Comparing impeachment to a #lynching is one of the most despicable and disgusting things to come out of this president’s mouth and that’s really saying something. Anyone who tries to defend this remark is just as reprehensible.https://t.co/ye8GFBFON8
— Rep Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) October 22, 2019
Over 4,000 black men, women and children were murdered in the Jim Crow era in a systematic campaign of racial terrorism.
Millions more fled their homes in the South because they feared for their lives.
Donald Trump knows exactly what he is doing. pic.twitter.com/CU6rpD9qAe
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 22, 2019
Haven’t even had coffee yet & the occupant of the WH, the bigoted man who called for the execution of the exonerated 5, is tossing the word ‘lynching’ around. Lord give me the strength to not take the bait but hold this man accountable for every single thing he says and does.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) October 22, 2019
Even some conservatives weren’t feeling Trump’s tweet.
We can all disagree on the process, and argue merits. But never should we use terms like “lynching” here. The painful scourge in our history has no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately. May God help us to return to a better way. https://t.co/URKNgxUfiv
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 22, 2019
It is not a lynching. Let's not start dropping words that are important with real historic meaning where we water them down to nothing. https://t.co/6WDtPoV61Y
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) October 22, 2019
The President is not a victim. He should be the most powerful person on the planet. To equate his plight to lynching is grotesque. https://t.co/ZECeswGlWx
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 22, 2019
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise admitted Trump “could have used different language.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the tweet is "not the language I would use.”
Trump sent the tweet shortly before U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor was scheduled to testify before a congressional panel, according to Roll Call. Time reports Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi opened an impeachment inquiry against Trump after a whistleblower accused him of misusing his influence during a phone call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
