President Donald Trump concluded his Republican midterm convention on Thursday by leading the audience in a pledge ... to himself.
Trump asked the crowd to raise their right hands and begin: “I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States.”
The crowd dutifully repeated the line, calling Trump “the greatest president in the history of the United States.”
Trump added: “that loves us so much he can’t even breathe.”
The crowd again repeated the line, but then it got a little harder to follow.
“That I will go out with my family, my friends, I’ll do it anyway, I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try and cheat like hell like they do,” he said. “There’s never been bigger cheaters, they don’t care. I am going to go out and I am going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3rd or we are going to vote before that.”
Unable to repeat all of that, the crowd cheered.
Trump realized he lost them and reset.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Here’s the way you ― “
But he wasn’t ready himself as he got sidetracked by people in the audience. He tried once more to finish, with the crowd repeating after him, but left them behind as he went off on another tangent.
“So help me God,” he concluded.
The crowd repeated that part heartily.
“You know what happens if you don’t vote?” Trump asked. “You go to hell!”
So much blasphemy that he's telling his supporters they're going to hell!
103 Comments
pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 178 pts · 3d
I think that headline missed the plot.
Dnb@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 70 pts · 3d
He also almost said exactly how to cheat and either realized he needed to shut up or the brain fog kicked in to save him
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2d
So there are going to be a lot of unregistered Republican voters casting ballots?
blargh513@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2d
Isn't this the same party that wants to send voter fraud criminals to a gulag?
Go ahead then, get to it.
bcgm3@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 2d
Pretty sure this is not the first time he's openly admitted to/advocated for cheating, while framing it as "because that's what the left is already doing."
pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2d
And he's a traitor every time he does it. People just let it go, but he's trying to break democracy.
artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 2d
The man who complains endlessly about "cheating" just openly advocated for cheating.
bobjones1665@lemmy.world · 130 pts · 3d
So he just authorized conservatives to openly cheat.
The projection is just...
I can't with these people.
fonix232@fedia.io · 114 pts · 3d
Not authorised. INSTRUCTED.
Let me repeat that: the current sitting president of the US gave an instruction to his followers to ignore the rule of the law and cheat at the election.
Even more brazenly than on 6 Jan 2021, he's literally instructing his followers to dismantle the entire legal basis of the federal state.
Watch it, his next attempt will be to then discredit the midterms' results and claim they don't count so the already sitting representatives stay.
They're getting desperate to keep control, because they KNOW people are going to vote blue. Mamdani's example of successful leadership contrasts the disaster of the cabinet too sharply. People are starting to see through the constant communist scaremongering.
ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world · 35 pts · 2d
It's far worse than that. He's trying to get them to take a vow, to make a personal promise -- literally "so help me god" -- so that those who promise will then believe they will be held accountable before "god" to fulfill.
He's literally trying to make this promise have religious consequences for failing to live up to it in the minds of those who took it.
People who think this is all imaginary have no idea how real it is for those heavily propagandized in this way, who have had their real faith hijacked by Christian nationalist propaganda. It's no joke. It's all VERY legal, tick the box, "You said this and now you're bound by it" with actual threat of hellfire attached at the end. Just like Trump did here. Most of us would laugh; MAGAs do not.
This exact dynamic is why Republicans are so terrified of James Talarico down in Texas: he's offering the MAGAs who have equated Christianity with MAGA Christian nationalism a real off ramp from Trump that allows them to keep their church, faith, and local community.
If you're in a rural area where all you know are the 500 people that live in your mostly MAGA town, and you can't afford to be ostracized or you'll literally have no community left, it's a big fucking deal.
This faux "Christianization" of politics is very real, and that's what he's trying to capitalize on by making the rubes take a "repeat after me, so help me god" kind of vow.
Fortunately, he fucked it up, so they all have plausible deniability if they want it. But that's why he was struggling so hard to get them back on track and to repeat the whole thing: he knew exactly what he was doing, and to what end.
radiofreebc@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
Some right wing nutjob is going to end Talarico too. There is no way they're going to let him win.
WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2d
So what? The rest of the country doesn’t give a shit. You’re going to sit there on your asses and feign helplessness and allow it. Fucking WATCH.
Sanctus@anarchist.nexus · 95 pts · 3d
What a fuccen time to be alive. Could really use a grassy knoll right about now.
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 32 pts · 3d
I guess we better pledge to cheat like hell or something
Bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 2d
Weve had one, yes, but what about 2nd grassy knoll?
FiniteBanjo@feddit.online · 13 pts · 2d
Personally I'm not hyped about a President Vance, but it would certainly be cathartic to see him suffer and die. I really want to see him die in prison, we almost had that until they voted him back in while his trials were ongoing.
Mirshe@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
As I've pointed out before, Trump dying probably spares us the worst of the MAGA heads, but where Trump wants to lead with charisma and a charged base, I feel like Vance is actually content with keeping power via use of arms. The guy is craven at the thought of having power.
Natanael@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 2d
Vance is too stupid to hold onto power, and genuinely believes he has charisma when it's obvious he doesn't. He's going to try to ride on Trump's cult of personality and get wrecked. The death of Trump will cause infighting that no faction can win.
Aside from all the collateral damage (which will be significant unfortunately), the only remaining factions that likely will be a problem afterwards are some militias and some of the billionaire donors (in both cases it's those who exit early to protect themselves when the fighting starts) because they'll try to pretend they're reformed later or deny involvement
artyom@piefed.social · 1 pts · 2d
He isn't dumber than the current guy.
Natanael@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 1d
That's a very very low bar. Clearing that isn't evidence he's capable of anything
artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 1d
Insofar as the current guy is doing a very good job at holding on to power, I'd strongly disagree. Being smart is clearly not a requirement.
Nouvellalia@lemmy.world · 66 pts · 3d
So, a direct pledge to him as god-king-emperor in which he claims moral authority over their previous god, and that he has the old god's power of final judgement.
Sigh, I wish with all my heart this were actually binding. I can think of nothing better than these creatures getting an eternity in a pocket universe of trump's creation with him as the supreme power.
nickiwest@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
It's been nearly 30 years since I fervently believed that an afterlife was real. This comment made me wish it were true.
Dante could add a whole extra ring of Hell for the MAGA faithful.
jj4211@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
It is rather unchristian. Perhaps... Anti-Christian
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 3d
The 33% who are too stupid and too racist to care what he says. They just love pulling off his diaper and giving him a sloppy rim job.
NoForwadSlashS@piefed.social · 14 pts · 3d
I was totally unprepared for this imagery. Viceral.
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.social · 10 pts · 3d
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2d
Not sure if serious... (I've seen how you comment and post, lol)
blastosist@lemmy.zip · 35 pts · 2d
These people would be burning witches in another century.
Sunflier@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 2d
They really really REALLY want to do that here and now.
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Yep.
See the agenda of the Seven Mountain Mandate types.
Burn_The_Right@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 1d
Conservatives are pure evil. They will be burning witches by the end of this decade if we don't stop them by force.
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
Witches, black people, lgbtq+ people...
Prior_Industry@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
They will be raiders gangs or worshiping a undetonated nuclear bomb in a future century.
starik@lemmy.today · 32 pts · 2d
The only thing I like about him is how he humiliates Evangelical Christians regularly. He doesn’t believe any of the shit they do, but he makes them feel like they are gaining cultural power, so they are devoted to him.
This instance is particularly funny. One of the few things he knows about their religion is that they are motivated by a fear of going to hell, so he’s just like “I’ll use that!” If you don’t vote, you go to Hell. So get out and vote, you dumb rubes.
melfie@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 2d
He was previously registered as a Democrat and had donated more to Democrats than Republicans. Hard to say what he truly believes.
Afaithfulnihilist@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 2d
I care less about what is in his heart than what he does.
He does bad things and lies all the time. I would look at his donations to Democrats as influence peddling and not evidence that he believes anything at all.
chilicheeselies@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2d
He believe in himself
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
Yeah he's a relentless narcissist. Believing in something other than himself would take away from his himself to believe in
northernlights@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 2d
Wait, what?
starik@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 2d
He lived in New York, so all the local politicians were Democrats. Like the other commenter said, it was just influence peddling. He doesn’t care about anything but self-aggrandizement.
BillCheddar@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
He's using them.
That's all he does. 80 years of life and he's a fucking Locust. He uses what he can and then he moves on.
They keep letting him feed off their fat asses, so he dives in face first to whatever they want him to be, whatever they need him to say, to get them to do what he wants: supply him with the power that fuels his narcissism.
He's a fucking addict and they are his drug. MFer is getting high on his own supply.
josephmbasile@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 2d
I'd like to make this very clear to all the religious folks out there. Hell does not exist because why would an almighty God allow such an abomination? They wouldn't. There, relax already.
obvs@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2d
Hell absolutely exists.
It's what Republicans put others through.
And it's what Republicans strive to put others through.
Republicans will straight up tell you they're trying to protect you and prevent you from going through hell, while the whole time they're working hard to make sure you're going through the hell they've created for you your whole life.
And after torturing you, they claim "No, no, no, you don't understand. You were torturing me!"
HugeNerd@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 2d
There is no god and religion is a mental illness, and BY FAR the greatest threat facing humanity. We will never progress with this defect among us.
Ironfist79@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1d
I can't reconcile the idea of a loving god with one that tortures people for all of eternity.
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Or who only loves you if you pay attention to him.
josephmbasile@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Absolutely abusive what he is doing to his followers. I wish he would just have the good sense to step down and beg the courts for forgiveness.
aceshigh@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2d
Also I’m pretty sure hell doesn’t exist in all religions, so just switch to one that doesn’t have it. People convert all the time.
Sunflier@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2d
Maybe, but the religious right needs to burn and suffer in hell. It's what they f*cking deserve, especially since they're wearing the mark of the beast upon their brow in the shape of a red hat.
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Please please please just say Fuck on the internet. You don't have to censor yourself.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
almighty != all loving but i'm with you. i'll stop pedanting now
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2d
At least in catholicism their god is believed to be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent. Idk how someone can consider themselves a Christian if they don't believe all three
motoxjake@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 2d
You simply don't understand. Without Fire Demon there can be no Skyman. There must exist an antagonist to every good epic tale of us vs them/good vs evil. Without looming fear you cannot control the masses. And the sheep will argue over this to the bitter end.
Edit: but thanks for fighting the "good" fight.
BigBenis@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 2d
He's shitting his pants. Also, he's fucking terrified of the midterms.
SippyCup@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 2d
Midterms? Too old for him.
taiyang@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 3d
I'm grateful I accepted myself as a godless atheist long before this shit came up. If I was a Christian, a real Christian anyway, I'd be so fucking pissed off by this guy.
I mean, I'm pissed off by this guy anyway, but not in a divine way at least.
ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2d
I'm in the same boat, sort of. I was a true believer, but the words-in-red kind, not like this lot. Got all the way out just in time, and I could not be more relieved. I literally do not know how I'd still be functioning if I were still a believing Christian and this was somehow my own twisted circus-mirror faith being reflected back to me.
Knowing it's all a lie is a VAST relief.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 2d
I actually kind of envy those people because at least they believe that he will receive eternal punishment.
Instead he'll just rot in a fucking grave
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2d
I almost hope I'm wrong and there is a god so this guy does suffer eternal damnation
SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 2d
I wish this myth would die. There are no real christians. There is no real christ. The concept of christ is, "an abusive god sacrificed himself to save us from the violence he'll inflict on us if we don't submit completely to his vague and contradictory commands, which include owning slaves and selling women to their rapists."
Accountability is impossible when we tolerate magical thinking. Innocent people are dying for it.
the_crotch@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2d
A Christian is, by definition, someone who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ. He doesn't have to exist for real Christians to exist. All that's required is the belief.
SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 2d
I spent hours debating someone who could not acknowledge this. I kept trying to point out that the entire notion of christ is built on the idea that an abusive god demands blood sacrifice, and they kept insisting christians can believe whatever they want.
They said the christian bible is one of many different christian texts, which is true, but they refused to acknowledge that most christians find that text in particular very important. It's why it's known as "the christian bible," and the best-selling book of all time.
They said not all christians believe Jesus is god, and they cited catholicism as an example, to which I brought up the Nicene creed and quotes from the pope. If one believes Jesus is christ, why would one reject what Jesus supposedly said about being the son and the father? What sense does a savior, messiah, christ make without the threat of punishment to save us from?
My position is that because there is no such thing as a real christ, there is no such thing as a real christian. Every one is a fake christian. They each interpret Jesus differently because no one today actually knows what he was like, and the accounts we have of his life contradict each other. The label has become so meaningless, I have no idea what someone actually believes when they say they are christian, but I know they are not thinking critically.
I think you're right, though. I wouldn't say a theist is a fake theist, I would say there's no reason to believe in god. I guess I should take the same approach when it comes to christ. I just wish I could splash cold water on humanity's face. Too many christians break out the "no true scotsman" fallacy when another christian disagrees with them or does something they don't like, failing to recognize that their own baseless views can be just as harmful, failing to recognize that they're normalizing the exact magical thinking they're criticizing. I want humans to stop playing make-believe when our lives are at stake.
taiyang@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
I suppose "true believer" might be a correct term? I simply meant someone who believes in something (even if it's obviously not actually their book) rather than someone who is strictly using it to manipulate or fit in or what have you.
SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 2d
Yeah. I think I meant that I hate how many christians will apply the "no true scotsman" fallacy, pretending other interpretations are wrong and theirs is the right one when there is no right way to believe in something that doesn't exist. Everyone has their own headcanon out of necessity because there is no way to verify the contradictory claims made about christ.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 3d
I trust him on this.
SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2d
That's as close to a Nazi salute as he can get without even the American media catching on.
boobookittyfrick@lemmy.zip · 15 pts · 3d
Oh my fucking god I’d say this can’t be real but it defiantly is
Doomsider@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 2d
https://youtu.be/JHBRMyx_xHs?is=hItSVYU6rL2a_DSy
I can't even. How anyone could be this demented and still be a leader of even a youth sports team would be beyond me, let alone the President of the US.
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 2d
without share tracking: https://youtu.be/JHBRMyx_xHs
anewfox@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 2d
i can't help but notice that youtube changed the get variable name recently from
sitois, i'm guessing in an attempt to screw with extensions that strip these out.gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 1d
Nah, they're not the only one to do it, insta and fbook did too
Doomsider@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
Oof, I will have to reset to cut that out. Thanks.
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2d
this app makes it easy if you set it as your default browser: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.trianguloy.urlchecker
OriginalTangle@feddit.org · 4 pts · 2d
Ik man. I think he was crushing it for that audience. They love this. They think he's their guy. If you wanted to make your dog take a pledge it wouldn't matter that it was meandering either. Woof! Just woof.
maxthemummer@lemmus.org · 11 pts · 1d
Repeat after me. "I" state your name.
"I state your name."
GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 3d
So now the question becomes if we KNOW by their own words they’re going to cheat, why allow them the chance? Why not just eliminate the possibility by eliminating their right to vote? If not, I guess we have to cheat then - we’ve seen what happens when we try to play fair and they don’t, and we can’t afford even a single step more in that direction as it would be the last.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 10 pts · 3d
Eliminate the right to vote? So you are saying beat them to the punch in establishing an autocracy? It may come to that, we are no where near that yet.
I support restoring the republic and safeguarding fair elections.
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 3d
I agree with everything you said except:
Because I support the Balkanization of U.S. Nothing good comes from the continued existence of the this country. Trump's rise to power isn't a fluke, it is merely the natural consequence of courting authoritarianism for the better part of a century.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 9 pts · 2d
Such an outcome would lead to a strong man consolidating power, but first would lead to warlords, oligarchs with their own bastions of power, security services left derelict after the collapse of government would turn to highway robbery, aforementioned warlordism, and organized crime.
Then you have what is left over of the military, and whomever consolidates that, is the new supreme leader.
We could talk all day about how it would play out under different scenarios, but the collapse of governments in the US would be a very very bad thing if we weren't organized to institute a better system. That system could even be broken up into several, countries.
Otherwise the new boss is at best the same as the old, and in all probability much worse, with a lot of pain and suffering before that happens. And when that strongman takes power as an autocrat, future autocrats only get worse.
Plato noticed every single republic follows the same formula from representative government through stages of oligarchic repression to "democracy," as defined by the ancient greeks up until like the 19th century when it became a positive buzzword rather than a strong man rallying the population to seize absolute power. Then the autocracy degrades in time through successive leaders and is overthrown and a republic re-instituted.
No republics have since broken with the formula even if they haven't run through the stages yet.
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 2d
Yeah, an uncontrolled collapse could be catastrophic. That's an argument for building decentralized institutions capable of surviving a federal crisis, not necessarily an argument for preserving the existing federal state indefinitely.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 2d
I am not speaking of preserving this federal state, but a new federal state, in line with the constitution and all of it's amendments, which honestly is a decent framework and better than anything we could hope for if we started new at this point in time.
The feds have ursurped power year over year, they aren't supposed to be doing almost any of what they are doing according to the constitution, and all laws contrary to that are illegal and unefnforceable, according to that highest law.
The feds are supposed to handle international relations, trade, and interstate commerce. But they are forbidden from enacting barriers to trade within the states or movements of people. That's about it.
The States obviously need their own restorations to their constitutions and that of the United States.
Plus practically, you won't get support for an overthrow and new system. You can get support for a restoration, which amounts to the same thing in most ways.
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 2d
I don't need support for an overthrow and new system, the collapse is inevitable. We are currently in the middle of it.
Reformation is NOT the same thing. When you're working with the framework that we have (a 250 year old document that is miserably outdated) and nobody willing to treat it as anything other than some sacred text passe down from on high, you're left with what you're left with. Less than one amendment to the Constitution per generation and no public of civic desire to continue to amend it.
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2d
I recomend you look up the setting for the Shadowrun TTRPG. The federal government fracturing would result in megacorps taking control of various regions of the country very similar to the game, minus all the magic stuff
MnemonicBump@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 2d
Well, what I really support is the Balkanization of the U.S. PLUS the complete and utter collapse of capitalism as a system. But that gets into a lot more of a nuanced discussion than I was prepared for.
But that game sounds sick, though.
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2d
Natanael@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 2d
There's another option and enforce 14A3 disqualification for treason. They can vote, but can't have traitors on the ballot
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 2d
Courts are majority owned by the Federalist Society though, and they are traitors. The days of the courts defending America's Republic are over, they are now conspirators sadly.
Yes though, current prez and many others should've been convicted of insurrection and kept off the ballot. But the democrats are also unwilling and unable to call them what they are and fight for justice.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 3d
I would 100% go to hell if it meant I no longer had to listen to this orange Russian cum rag.
queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 2d
You make this deal with a demon. You immediately die and arrive in Hell. It's not so bad, you have to walk over flaming coals to get anywhere and the demons inserting fiery brands into every orifice are pretty unpleasant, but you've had worse. You begin to settle into your new life.
A few years pass in this fashion, until one day the demon knocks on the door of your abyssal torture cottage. You ask him why he has come. He says it's time for your eternal punishment to start, and he'd like to introduce you to your new roommate.
fin
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2d
So this means I get to beat the ever loving shit out of him whenever I want?
queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 2d
Yep. His punishment is having his consciousness split between all his roommates, everyone whose lives he made hell, experiencing all their ire, in parallel, for eternity.
Snapz@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2d
Go to any backwards town and get 4 people to stand behind you smiling in an extremely tight shot and pretend you're loved by everyone.
87Six@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 2d
Not an ounce of democracy in sight
Sunflier@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
I dunno about that. This is exactly what they voted for.
Kowowow@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 3d
Feels like an easy way for him to lose people is to try and get them to "repeat after me", like there is no way helps people think he's snart
Redfox8@mander.xyz · 7 pts · 1d
Bizarre? This is totally in line with his personality.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2d
Unleashed. Literally.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2d
dammit i'm the fucking blasphemy dude knock it the shit fuck balls off
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 3 pts · 2d
It feels more like a concert than a political convention lmao
BillCheddar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
So did Hitler's rallies.
not an accidental coincidence
aceshigh@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2d
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 7h
There are some hilarious tiktok videos of people calling their Conservative representatives and asking how exactly they are supposed to "cheat like hell"