Conservative demonstrators have turned out in droves in states around the U.S. to protest against lockdown orders that have been implemented in an attempt to stem the spread of the Coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of over 70,000 Americans. In Michigan, a contingent of heavily armed demonstrators stormed the state capitol building in protest of the state’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s extension of the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15, and surprisingly, even Fox News host Sean Hannity has now spoken out against that particular group.
During a broadcast of his show this week, he condemned the group for supposedly putting law enforcement in danger with their belligerent display. Footage has circulated widely of the demonstrators squaring off with police, who were attempting to control the tumult.
Hannity commented on Monday night:
‘I’m the number one supporter on radio and television, that I know of, of the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. Now, no one is a bigger defendant of the Second Amendment than yours truly. Everyone has the right to protest, protect themselves and try to get the country open. This, with the militia, look here, and these long guns … no. A show of force is dangerous. That puts our police at risk. And by the way, your message will never be heard, whoever you people are. No one should be attempting to intimidate officials with a show of force, and God forbid, something happens. Then they’re going to go after all of us law-abiding Second Amendment people.’
When you’re on the far right but even Sean Hannity is distancing himself from you, you can count on that you’ve messed up. Watch his comments below:
Hannity calls out armed lockout protests: "No one should be attempting to intimidate officials with a show of force."pic.twitter.com/EErSTEfIy3
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) May 5, 2020
It’s worth noting — Hannity is a staunch supporter of President Trump, but the president has taken the exact opposite approach to the heavily armed Michigan demonstrators.
After previously tweeting that his followers should “liberate” Michigan, among a handful of other Democrat-led states with lockdown orders in line with his own administration’s guidelines, Trump tweeted recently that Michigan’s Governor Whitmer should “make a deal” with the armed demonstrators — who, to be clear, don’t exactly seem interested in “deal-making.”
He tweeted:
‘The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.’
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
One Twitter user poignantly noted in response:
‘The threatening displays of white rage around the country lately, are happening with such frequency and ferocity, because participants know that they have in this president, a dedicated advocate, a willing partner, a powerful accomplice.’
The threatening displays of white rage around the country lately, are happening with such frequency and ferocity, because participants know that they have in this president, a dedicated advocate, a willing partner, a powerful accomplice.https://t.co/VSCiEbqscy
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) May 1, 2020
For the innumerable time in a row, Trump is acting like the lockdown orders instituted in an attempt to stem the spread of the Coronavirus are some kind of political plot. They’re not. At least 4,135 people have died in Michigan from the Coronavirus, and across the U.S. as a whole, more than 70,000 people have died from the same disease. If Republicans could shoot at the virus, they’d no doubt be all in for whatever methods were necessary to stop the carnage. But, they can’t shoot at it, so here they are, brandishing their guns against the leaders trying to stop it instead.
