‘Believe him’: NY Times Editorial Board uses Trump’s own words in last-ditch appeal
The Editorial Board of the New York Times used Donald Trump’s own words to highlight the "disturbing" promises of what the former president has vowed to do if re-elected.
The opinion writers followed it with an ominous message for their readers: “Believe him.”
Friday’s article was a last-ditch effort by the board — which has long been opposed to Trump’s run for re-election — to sway voters with just over a week before they go to the polls.
“Donald Trump has described at length the dangerous and disturbing actions he says he will take if he wins the presidency,” the board wrote.
“...Americans should believe him.”
The warning was followed by a long list of headlined promises, followed by direct quotes from Trump vowing to carry them out. After every warning title were the repeated words, colored red and published in capital letters: “BELIEVE HIM.”
The highlighted promises are:
- Trump says he will use the Justice Department to punish people he doesn’t like. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will round up and deport millions of immigrants. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will deploy the American military against U.S. citizens. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will allow vigilante violence to end crime. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will order the military to strike foreign civilian targets if the United States is attacked. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will punish blue states by withholding disaster relief. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will use ideological tests to decide which public schools get federal money. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will use ideological tests to decide which public schools get federal money. BELIEVE HIM
- Trump says he will abandon U.S. allies. BELIEVE HIM
“His rallies offer a steady stream of such promises and threats,” the Editorial Board added.
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"These statements are so outrageous and outlandish, so openly in conflict with the norms and values of American democracy that many find them hard to regard as anything but empty bluster.
“We have two words for American voters: Believe him.
“... Americans would be wise to see this language as a genuine threat, not simply Mr. Trump on a tangent. We should take the painful step of imagining America were his plans and promises to come to pass, to imagine the impacts to our culture, to our economy, to our security, to our shared commitment to the rule of law.”