Trump Defends Inciting Violence: ‘If There Is Violence, That’s on the People Who Take Up My Words’

William FurneyNov 4, 2023

Minute Read

Donald Trump believes he shouldn’t be under gag orders because he has a right to free speech and if there are problems related to what he says, it’s not his fault, a legal expert has said.

‘Chilling Aspect of Case’

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Andrew Weissmann, a legal commentator and former federal prosecutor, was discussing Trump’s federal election interference charges on MSNBC when he said he had uncovered “one of the more chilling aspects of this case.”

Federal Charges

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Trump has been indicted at federal level for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden, and for trying to block the peaceful transfer of power. He’s been indicted on similar charges at state level, in Georgia. After he attacked Special Counsel Jack Smith and others connected with the case, Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a partial order on the former president.

Appeal of Gag Order

Trump’s legal team asked that the gag order be lifted, because, they said, it contravened his right to free speech under the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Judge Chutkan temporarily suspended the gag order to hear lawyers’ arguments but reimposed it days later.

‘Not on Trump’

Weissmann said on MSNBC that he had gone through Trump’s written appeal of the gag order and discovered disturbing views. The document, he said, basically said the defendant’s position was: “If there is violence, that’s on the people who take up my words and commit the violence. It’s not on me, Donald Trump.”

Trump: ‘Can Say What I Want’

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Weissmann continued with his explanation of Trump’s appeal brief, pointing out that Trump’s view is that “I can say whatever I want, and if people act on it, don’t look at me.”

‘Most Chilling’

Weissmann told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace: “That I find the most chilling, because any responsible person who is trying to avoid violence, who is trying to avoid the fear and intimidation … would be saying ‘I’m trying to do everything to not have that happen, to not be using my words in a way that they would be used for that.”

Trump ‘Not Normal’

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“Any normal person would be trying to make sure that they wouldn’t in any way be responsible for harming another person. And this is quite the contrary where you have the government correctly saying, ‘These words he knows darn well are going to lead to these consequences.’”

Mixed Reaction

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People had differing views of Weissmann’s explanation of Trump’s gag order appeal. One wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “He’s the most aggressively investigated person in human history. Authoritarian regimes have treated many like he’s being treated, but very few quite to the level that he has.”

‘No Responsibility’

Another X user, using the name VoiceOfReason, offered: “Not taking responsibility for his words and how people respond to them is part of the Trump playbook. ‘Stand back and stand by,’ ‘You better fight like hell’ … And whatever happens is fine with me!”

‘Trump Henchmen’s Fault’

Still another person, Barbara Davis, commented on X: “Hitler’s henchmen: We were just following orders.

Trump: I was just giving orders. It’s not my fault if my henchmen actually follow them.”

Trump ‘Not Guilty’

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the election interference cases and maintains the charges are politically motivated, by Democrats trying to keep him out of the White House as he mounts another run for the presidency and is the Republican Party frontrunner for its nominee in the 2024 election.

Gag Order Response

Trump reacted with fury as his gag order was reinstated, writing on his Truth Social account: “I have just learned that the very Biased, Trump Hating Judge in D.C., who should have RECUSED herself due to her blatant and open loathing of your favorite President, ME, has reimposed a GAG ORDER which will put me at a disadvantage against my prosecutorial and political opponents.

‘Unthinkable Order’

Trump continued in his rant against the court: “This order, according to many legal scholars, is unthinkable! It illegally and unconstitutionally takes away my First Amendment Right of Free Speech, in the middle of my campaign for President, where I am leading against BOTH Parties in the Polls.”

Another Attack on Chutkan

Trump said he would appeal the gag order, and in a later post on Truth Social, he hit out at Judge Tanya Chutkan again.

“RADICAL LEFT JUDGE TAKING AWAY MY RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH IN ORDER TO HELP CROOKED JOE BIDEN & HIS THIRD WORLD ELECTION INTERFERENCE SCAM. AS GOOD AS THIS SOUNDS, IT WON’T WORK!”