Biden calls for Trump to go to prison

President Joe Biden, yesterday afternoon (October 22), finally laid it on the line. He wishes to see his immediate predecessor, Donald J. Trump, go to prison. After making that intemperate remark, he immediately mumbled something to the effect that he meant it figuratively, not literally. But he still has crossed a line that even his Vice-President, running to succeed him, won’t cross. It is the most provocative and dangerous thing any American President has said of a predecessor. But the danger does not lie in provoking Trump’s supporters to go to war. Rather, the danger lies in egging on rank-and-file Democrats to repeat the post-election violence of 2016 – on a worse scale.

When did Biden say that?

Biden first hinted at wanting Donald Trump to go to prison last week (October 15). In one of his last appearances at an event for Vice-President Kamala Harris, he spoke of the delay in the sentencing of Trump after his New York conviction for falsifying business records.

The same guy who has three other major cases waiting for him when he loses. And by the way, 34 felonies. He got the sentence kicked back, but I want to watch that sentence. Joe Biden

Biden is now openly hoping President Trump — his former top rival before he kicked Biden's ass so bad he dropped out in disgrace — is jailed after the corrupt Democrat-led witch hunt:

"He got the sentence kicked back, but I want to watch that sentence." pic.twitter.com/jsaq9jR7ob— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 16, 2024

Biden has since hinted that he won’t be appearing with Kamala Harris anymore – possibly because her campaign is dying. But yesterday afternoon, according to the New York Post,Biden said more explicitly, while visiting a Democratic campaign office in Concord, New Hampshire:

… bizarre. If I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up: We gotta lock him up. [Four-second pause] Politically, lock him up — lock him out, that’s what we’ve got to do. Joe Biden

🚨 Joe Biden just said the quiet part out loud:

"We gotta lock [President Trump] up." pic.twitter.com/nz9UkH7yf4— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 22, 2024

Notice that applause – not gasps – greeted Biden’s remarks. But someone at the White House must have gasped. Alex Thompson, political correspondent for Axios, shared this gem from an anonymous White House insider:

For better or worse, no one is listening to him anymore and his words have little power and less reach. It’s a blip. Gone in any meaningful way by mid-day tomorrow if it makes it that long.

A counterpoint from a current Biden admin official: "For better or worse, no one is listening to him anymore and his words have little power and less reach. It’s a blip. Gone in any meaningful way by mid-day tomorrow if it makes it that long."— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 22, 2024

You know it’s serious business when the White House drops this kind of leak. Earlier, Thompson had this, from a former White House official: “we gotta lock Joe up.”

Noting this could be politically unhelpful to Harris, a former Biden admin official texts me: “we gotta lock Joe up.” https://t.co/juzeUrhM1H— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 22, 2024

Will Scharf, Missouri attorney and former Attorney General candidate, linked to the Post article in outrage:

Almost two years after launching an unprecedented campaign of lawfare against his principal political opponent, Joe Biden finally says the quiet part out loud.

“We gotta lock him up.”https://t.co/CsIlu5jzEp— Will Scharf (@willscharf) October 22, 2024

But this morning, Trump seemed to be taking it all in stride:

They’re going after me like nobody’s ever seen with the weaponized justice system… She said I’m getting tired. I’m not getting tired — she’s getting tired. Donald J. Trump

PRESIDENT TRUMP: They're going after me like nobody's ever seen with the weaponized justice system… She said I'm getting tired. I'm not getting tired — she's getting tired. pic.twitter.com/mLCQCVIAgf— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 23, 2024

In other words: what else is new? The real expression of outrage, he left to his campaign team.

Joe Biden just admitted the truth: he and Kamala’s plan all along has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump because they can’t beat him fair and square. The Harris-Biden Admin is the real threat to democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden’s disgraceful remark.

Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Donald Trump

What do people really think of what Biden said?

As the Post pointed out, Biden and his aides don’t usually comment on Trump’s various court cases. For him to do so this time, even in a semi-public event (a campaign office tour with reporters present), is a significant departure. The Post also points out that Harris, when her own audience shouts “Lock him up,” reminds them that such things are for courts to decide.

The Post’s reporters expect the Justice Department to set aside all remaining federal cases against Trump, should he win election. Recall that Judge Aileen Cannon in South Florida dismissed one case, saying Special Counsel Jack Smith has no authority. (Rumor, according to ABC News, has her on a short list to become the next Attorney General.)

Steven Crowder, commenting on Alex Thompson’s earlier posts, expressed outrage for a different reason:

We are less than two weeks away from the most important Election Day of eleventy lifetimes. Here’s hoping there are no major world events that happen before then because, apparently, no one is running the country right now.

Steven Crowder

Nevertheless, with Trump being the odds-on favorite to win the Election of 2024, that could be the most dangerous thing Biden – or any other President – could say, short of ordering a first nuclear strike. If anyone doubts that Trump is the odds-on favorite, Jordan Sekulow revealed that Kamala Harris has lost her majority among Latinos and is not carrying other ethnic minorities as well as Biden did.

That the White House must cover for this by implying that the President is non compos mentis, underscores the danger.

And what is that danger?

The danger is not that Trump’s supporters are ready to react violently. That would require something far more substantive and purposeful than mere words – which Biden delivered as if he were sleepwalking.

The danger is from Kamala Harris’ supporters. They might not be numerous enough to carry enough States, nor even the national popular vote. But Mark Mitchell of Rasmussen Reports worries openly that those people will take to the streets after the election.

This is Transition Integrity Project Version One, with the civil-war scenario, all over again. Mitchell in fact did something pollsters don’t normally do. He begged election officials, from State Secretaries of State to the lowliest Officers of Election, not to delay the count.

Consider what happens, then, with delayed counts and Trump not yet carrying States with 270 votes or more. Biden might have sleep-walked through those remarks, but that won’t stop Harris voters from taking them to heart. The breakdown in the discipline the Democratic Party once imposed on ethnic minorities with their identity politics, means only the most fanatical leftists will vote for her. Eight years ago, such people took to the streets, and even to Interstate Highways. Mark Mitchell fears they will do so again – and perhaps with good reason.

Could anything stop it?

Ironically, one thing that might stop such a riotous outbreak might be the last gasp of Democratic Party election “lawfare.” Remember: Marc E. Elias has assembled a team of 75 fellow lawyers, and threatens to sue for recounts in every:

1. Battleground State that Trump carries, and presumably every:
2. Non-battleground State that Trump carries in an upset.

He will demand manual recounts. That prospect has Virginia election-integrity activists, who have spoken freely to CNAV, splitting their sides laughing. Their goal is the manual count of all votes at precinct level on Election Day itself! A spate of lawsuits demanding manual recounts would make that prospect more attractive. (For this reason, CNAV encourages all Officers of Election to make sure their results are recount-ready.)

Everyone will hold their breath while those recounts proceed, if they happen. That breath-holding might cool passions down to take the mass of potentially violent leftists below critical. This outcome is devoutly to be wished.