There will be blood if we lose, threatens Trump

The US president warned an audience of evangelical leaders of violence if the Republicans lost ground in America’s upcoming midterm elections in November.

CNN reports Tump told a gathering of Christian leaders in the State Dining Room: “This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment. It’s a referendum on so much.

“It’s not a question of like or dislike, it’s a question that they will overturn everything that we’ve done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa – these are violent people,” Trump said in an attempt to galvanise a group known for being ardent supporters of his presidency to head to the polls.

“You have tremendous power. You were saying, in this room, you have people who preach to almost 200 million people. Depending on which Sunday we’re talking about.”

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Antifa is a loose conglomerate of left-wing, anti-fascist activists, most prevalent in the US, known for property damage and physical violence as well as digital activism. According to CNN, they have “emerged as an effective bogeyman for segments of the US right.”

Trump also expressed his concern as to whether evangelicals and other right-wing Americans will come out in force to vote in an election in which he is not on the ballot.

“The polls might be good, but a lot of them say they are going to vote in 2020, but they’re not going to vote if I’m not on a ballot,” he said.

“I think we’re doing well, I think we’re popular, but there’s a real question as to whether people are going to vote if I’m not on the ballot. And I’m not on the ballot.”

Despite being implicated in sex scandals and having been accused of sexual misconduct, evangelicals have been one of the groups shown to support Donald Trump the most, with the level of support remaining consistent after details of his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels emerged.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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