President Trump warned Antifa on Wednesday that they could be in “big trouble” if opposing groups “mobilize” against them.
“These people, like the Antifa — they better hope that the opposition to Antifa decides not to mobilize. Because if they do, they’re much tougher. Much stronger. Potentially much more violent. And Antifa’s going to be in big trouble. But so far they haven’t done that and that’s a good thing,” he told the Daily Caller in an Oval Office interview Wednesday.
“Big trouble”
The radical leftist group has become known for violent street demonstrations since Trump took office. Antifa protestors rioted in the nation’s capital on Trump’s inauguration day, and their violent disruptions in cities across the country have become commonplace. Members of the group recently assumed control of an intersection in Portland, Oregon and attacked an elderly driver.
They received widespread sympathy after opposing a deadly white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2017. Many people were then learning about antifa for the first time and quickly labeled them the good guys for fighting the neo-Nazis that showed up to the rally.
But the left-wing group has proven to be a gang of rabble-rousers who will attack basically anyone who doesn’t share their radical beliefs. Leftist protestors gathered outside the D.C. home of Fox News host Tucker Carlson last week while his wife was home alone, threatened his family and demanded that he leave his Washington, D.C. suburb because of his “racist” views.
Carlson’s wife locked herself in the pantry and called the cops as protestors yelled insults, vandalized Carlson’s property and, according to Carlson, broke his front door. D.C. police are investigating the incident as a “suspected hate crime.”
The Daily Caller asked Trump about the violent event, which was widely condemned by public figures across the political spectrum.
“I spoke to Tucker — I think Tucker’s a great guy — and I think it’s terrible. They were actually trying to break down [Tucker’s] door,” Trump said of Carlson, who co-founded the Daily Caller.
Violent “opposition” getting “angrier”
The president has described the radical left as a mob for months now, but this may be the first time he has said anything about a potentially violent reaction to Antifa’s extreme tactics.
Trump warned that this growing “opposition” to Antifa is watching the left’s violent acts and losing patience, adding that this “other side” consists of “tougher” people like cops and members of the military.
“[Antifa] better hope that the other side doesn’t mobilize,” Trump said. “Because if you look, the other side, it’s the military. It’s the police. It’s a lot of very strong, a lot of very tough people. Tougher than them. And smarter than them.”
“They’re sitting back and watching and they’re getting angrier and angrier.”
Trump attacked Antifa repeatedly in rallies before the midterms, describing members of the group as weaklings and making fun of them for their “little arms.”
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