I think he did, with statements like this:
I hope the Democrats, and even more importantly, the weak and ineffective RINO section of the Republican Party, are looking at the thousands of people pouring into D.C. They won’t stand for a landslide election victory to be stolen.
Commenting on this statement last night, John asked:
What on God’s green Earth is [Trump’s] point? His backers “won’t stand for” the election to be stolen? (As has been alleged, but not proved.) So what are they going to do about it? Start a revolution? Fight in the streets?
Fight at the Capitol, it turned out.
Suppose the thousands of people pouring into D.C. had simply engaged in a traditional, entirely peaceful protest. They would have fallen far short of refusing to “stand” for the alleged theft of Trump’s “victory.” (The adjective “landslide” is too absurd to repeat.) They would have let Trump down.
It’s clear to me that Trump called on the protesters not just to protest, but to act in ways that made it clear they won’t stand for outcome of the election. Ways like the ones John described. Ways like the ones the mob indulged in today.
I’m not talking about a “dog whistle” here. The “dog whistle” line is usually a dishonest way in which Democrats and the liberal media try to impute noxious statements to conservatives that they did not make or imply.
I’m talking about what Trump said, not what he didn’t say. He encouraged those pouring into Washington to make it clear they won’t stand for a Biden victory. And that’s what they did.
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