The Fox host and usual ally of the President has a sobering message for Trump and Michigan protesters.
NEW YORK—A key ally for President Trump has condemned Trump’s support of armed protests happening in Lansing and being watched across the nation.
While Trump has called the small but vocal group of Michigan protesters “responsible” and “good people,” Fox Host Sean Hannity spoke up and called them something radically different: “dangerous.”
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“Everyone has the right to protest, protect themselves and try to get the country open,” Hannity said, showing video of Lansing protesters. “This, with the militia look here, and these long guns, uh… no. Show of force is dangerous. That puts our police at risk.”
“And by the way, your message will never be heard, whoever you people are.”
That last bit has been fairly true of Lansing protesters. As The ‘Gander previously reported, even protesters were concerned that the sometimes over-the-top antics at the first “Operation Gridlock” protest distracted from their message. Instead of narrowing their focus, though, protesters at the second event stormed the Capitol Building with assault weapons and demanded direct access to legislators who wore bullet proof vests in preparation for the protests escalation to actual physical violence.
That escalation was also a concern for Hannity.
“No one should be attempting to intimidate officials with a show of force, and God forbid, something happens,” he said. “Then they’re going to go after all of us law-abiding Second Amendment people. I’ve had a carry permit my whole life.”
The ‘Gander has noted that a wave of heavily partisan disinformation has been a major influencing factor in the protests that have gripped Lansing and other major cities in recent weeks. And a combination of that disinformation and the unfocused generic fringe-right attitude of protests have caused the protests to be dismissed as Trump rallies.
The prevalence of racist iconography is also doing any attempt to convey a message no favors.
READ MORE: Why Michigan’s Coronavirus Protests Aren’t Actually About the Coronavirus Lockdown
“It was essentially a political rally, a political statement that flies in the face of all of the science and all of the best practices from the stay-at-home order that was issued,” Whitmer said on MSNBC about the first protest.
Though the danger posed by the pallies isn’t just from the guns. The ‘Gander has also reported that there may be a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic spreading in Michigan as a result of the protests, but a long incubation period means the full effect won’t be known for some weeks. And if that second wave happens, the policies the protesters have driven political leaders to adopt will substantially hinder Michigan’s response, threatening to put the state back to square one.
Despite this, Trump continues to praise protesters. Saying they were “very good people”, Trump encouraged Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to work with the protesters who carried signs threatening to have her hanged.
Katelyn Kivel is a politics, policy and law journalist from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She studied political science at Western Michigan University and has been published in multiple national and international outlets.
