THE LEFT'S SPIN
NBC: In Trump’s ‘LIBERATE’ tweets, extremists see a call to arms
“Trump’s tweets pushed many to speculate whether the president was advocating for armed conflict”
“Many far-right activists have been gearing up and advocating [for armed conflict] since last year”
THE STORY
Democratic and Republican governors pushed back Sunday on President Donald Trump’s tweets to “liberate” states where people protested social distancing measures enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The President tweeted “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” in one tweet, and “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” in another. “LIBERATE VIRGINIA! and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!” he reinforced in a third.
THE RIGHT'S SPIN
Reason Mag: People, not politicians, will decide when the Coronavirus shutdown ends
“It’s not the politicians who have the power to reopen America”
“it’s individuals, families, businesses, and religious congregations”
Our Analysis
To say that the President is advocating for violence is clearly hyperbolic and unfair. Did anyone who read that tweet really feel inspired to grab a weapon and take to the streets? Obviously not. Trump may have been aggressive in tone, yes, but his aim was clearly not to inspire violence. Leaving a view of Trump’s actions out of it, common sense here tells us that NBC is being unfair to the President, and giving him undue associations.
Our Analysis
Actually, Reason Magazine, whether we like it or not, the politicians do in fact have the power to reopen America. As these protests reveal quite clearly, American individuals themselves cannot reopen the country, or even their own towns for that matter. If they could they would have no need to take to the streets. While we like to think of our country as a democracy, we are more narrowly a republic. Thus, our elected officials are actually the ones with this power.