Maskless Trump Rails Against 'Left-Wing Mob' As Coronavirus Crisis Spirals
Faced with a public health crisis spiralling further out of control as a result of his own governing failures, a maskless Donald Trump ranted against the “left-wing mob,” “far-left fascism” and “cancel culture” in a disjointed speech delivered at an Independence Day celebration held at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday night.
“Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to defame our history,” Trump told a cheering crowd, most of whom also appeared to not be wearing masks.
“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders... and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities,” he added.
Trump was referring to protesters who, as part of a national uprising for racial justice, have defaced and removed Confederate monuments and symbols.
He vowed to crack down on “this attack on our liberty” by enforcing a federal law to “arrest the rioters,” reiterating his earlier promise to imprison anyone who vandalises such monuments for up to 10 years. Trump himself has been accused of destroying multiple national monuments including Utah’s Bears Ears, which is considered sacred by several Native American tribes.
In his speech, Trump also railed against so-called “cancel culture,” calling it the “very definition of totalitarianism.”
“There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance,” he said. “This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution.”
Trump offers some remarkably overheated rhetoric: "There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance ... this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American revolution" pic.twitter.com/pZC66T6Mzq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2020
A majority of US states are currently grappling with a rise in Covid-19 cases and, on Thursday, the country recorded a record-breaking single-day tally of new infections.
Yet, facial coverings ― which can help mitigate the spread of the disease ― were a...
