Doing The Time Warp

Trump on Minneapolis: "I'll say it very plainly -- elections have consequences. The people want law and order. And we have a silent majority. They like what we're doing." pic.twitter.com/cdE2BLESGs

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026

For you young whippersnappers, “silent majority” was Nixon’s phrase in his first term, to convince himself the people were with him. Despite his record landslide victory in ‘72, he still resigned in disgrace in ‘74.

The war was still wildly unpopular, and Nixon still had to bring it to an end to get re-elected; though he dragged it out until the second term just to guarantee re-election.

Trump’s frame of reference is still frozen at some point in the early’70’s. Everything after that is a blank, to him. It’s a frozen point in his mind. Time has not passed since then.

Q: Gov. Walz recently likened the conflict on the ground to Ft. Sumter, implying that this is the beginning of civil war. Do you feel there's a civil war brewing in Minneapolis?

TRUMP: Does he know what Ft. Sumter was or do you think somebody wrote it out for him? I was elected… pic.twitter.com/YEUMy0Q7RW

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026

Does Trump know? Signs point to “No.”

Trump on Minneapolis: "Do these people really want to have rapists and drug dealers and people from prisons and murderers, do they really want to have them in the community? It's really insurrectionists and agitators and they're paid ... everybody has a beautiful sign with brand… pic.twitter.com/SUni3aiLlZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026

Trump on Minneapolis: "Do these people really want to have rapists and drug dealers and people from prisons and murderers, do they really want to have them in the community? It's really insurrectionists and agitators and they're paid ... everybody has a beautiful sign with brand new wood. Leather panels."

"Leather panels”?

Q: Why are you suing the IRS?

TRUMP: Who are you with?

Q: ABC News

TRUMP: You are a loud person. Let somebody else have a chance

Q: Can you answer the question?

TRUMP: ABC fake news. I didn't call on you pic.twitter.com/QtJYMYVT65

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026

Does he think no one noticed?

Q: Do you have comment on the career prosecutors that are resigning in Minneapolis?

BLANCHE: *walks away* pic.twitter.com/1bH37IXXnm

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026

Breaking on MS NOW:

Career DOJ prosecutors in both Minnesota and Los Angeles refused to be involved in charging Don Lemon and the other journalists who covered the Minneapolis church protests.

The prosecutors believe the evidence does not support the charges, per @CarolLeonnig.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 30, 2026

I haven’t seen the charging instrument but, given this DOJ, I assume the prosecutors are correct until proven otherwise.