Donald Trump Quotes Fox News Guest Who Promises “Civil War Like Fracture” In Case of Impeachment

On Sunday night, our president fired up the old Twitter box to transcribe a long quote from Pastor Robert Jeffress—a man who once called Trump’s affair with Stormy Daniels “irrelevant” to evangelicals—from his appearance on Fox News:

“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats can’t put down the Impeachment match. They know they couldn’t beat him in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, and they’re increasingly aware of the fact that they won’t win against him in 2020, and Impeachment is the only tool they have to get….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019

….rid of Donald J. Trump – And the Democrats don’t care if they burn down and destroy this nation in the process. I have never seen the Evangelical Christians more angry over any issue than this attempt to illegitimately remove this President from office, overturn the 2016….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019

….Election, and negate the votes of millions of Evangelicals in the process. They know the only Impeachable offense that President Trump has committed was beating Hillary Clinton in 2016. That’s the unpardonable sin for which the Democrats will never forgive him…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019

….If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.” Pastor Robert Jeffress, @FoxNews

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019

Now, it’s not notable that Trump happened to be watching Fox News, or that he liked what one of the guests had to say. What is notable is the mention of Civil War, even in the guise of a “fracture,” and even second-hand through Jeffress’ mouth. Rep. Adam Kinzinger was not the only one to be disturbed by the implications, or to see the veiled threat in the words, but he was was a rare Republican to speak out about it:

I have visited nations ravaged by civil war. @realDonaldTrump I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant. https://t.co/a5Bae7bP7g

— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 30, 2019

Part of the reason Trump may have quoted Jeffress is that he’s worried it’s fundamentally not true. Recent polls have shown either approval or a dead heat on impeachment, even accounting for voters from both parties:

A lot of people were SURE that impeachment would be a political loser for the Democrats.

Doesn’t seem like it is turning out that way. pic.twitter.com/K91IWtJNUq

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 29, 2019

NEW swing district impeachment polling from our friends at @ChangePolls: https://t.co/kyFK6asek0

1,094 likely voters in 31 districts that Trump won in ’16, but Dems won in ’18.

In total, these were Trump +6 in 2016.

Impeachment:
49% support (44% strongly), 52% oppose

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 28, 2019

Trump and the GOP are trying to push the narrative that supporting impeachment will cost Democrats the House in 2020 because of backlash in swing districts, but the fact is that these Democrats won in the swing districts because of voters repudiating the first two years of Trump’s presidency…is it really true that they’ll now punish their new representatives for doing exactly what they expected when they voted them into office, which is going after Trump? Clearly, some very powerful people in the Republican camp, including the president himself, are worried that the answer is “no.”