Rosie O’Donnell, a frequent Donald Trump adversary who is now leading a D.C. protest against the president, blasted the anti-free press rhetoric being spewed by the White House, warning Monday that someone is going to get hurt.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, an outraged O’Donnell asked, “How many people will have to die before we realize what a horrible bully pulpit he has?”
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Rosie O’Donnell calls Trump’s anti-free press rhetoric “a disgrace to democracy.” #ctl #p2 #Trump #Media pic.twitter.com/V359V3JOSj
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O’Donnell said:
When someone dies, maybe he’ll shut up. … He’s doing dog whistles every day and he’s shouting out to people who try to fight off their own internal racism, he’s encouraging them. When he goes after LeBron James, are you kidding me, on the day after he opens a school in Ohio, he’s gonna go after LeBron James? It’s crazy to me, the people that he attacks. Someone will get hurt. Someone will die. Someone did. Heather died at one of those rallies. How many more people are going to have to die before we realize what a horrible bully pulpit he has? No president has ever used it for the way that he has. It’s been a disgrace to democracy, our standing in the world, what America is about and will return to being as soon as he is out.
Threats against journalists are on the rise
Sadly, Rosie O’Donnell’s chilling prediction seems increasingly likely. As Trump’s hateful attacks on the free press escalate, so too have the threats being made against journalists.
“They started the war,” one Trump supporter told C-SPAN on Sunday, referring to CNN anchors Brian Stelter and Don Lemon. “If I see ’em, I’m going to shoot ’em.”
Last week, MSNBC host Katy Tur recalled a recent threat made against her, with a Trump loyalist telling her, “I hope you get raped and killed.”
There is no sign that Trump will dial back his rhetoric as the threats pile up. If and when somebody gets hurt, he will have blood on his hands.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.