Jake Tapper Confronts Gov. Youngkin on Trump’s Authoritarian Threats: “I’m Literally Reading His Quotes”
Regency. (AFP)
In a tense interview on CNN, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) attempted to downplay former President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian rhetoric regarding political opponents, prompting a heated exchange with host Jake Tapper. Tapper repeatedly reminded Youngkin that Trump “literally” made the threats Youngkin was denying.
Throughout the interview, Youngkin insisted that Trump’s comments about using the National Guard and military were solely in reference to border security. “I’m a governor of a state that is not near the southern border and yet I see the impacts of 10 million people illegally coming across the border,” Youngkin said, emphasizing the drug crisis.
“Every single day, five Virginians die on average from fentanyl overdose.” Tapper acknowledged the border crisis but quickly pointed out that Trump’s remarks weren’t limited to illegal immigration. “He was talking about ‘sick people,’ ‘radical left lunatics’ who should be handled by the National Guard or the military,” Tapper said.
He noted that Trump had even named Congressman Adam Schiff as one of these “lunatics” during the same speech. Youngkin tried to pivot back to border security, stating, “I do think that you are misinterpreting and misrepresenting his thoughts. I don’t think he’s referring to elected people in America.”
Tapper, visibly frustrated, pushed back hard. “But I’m literally reading his quotes,” he protested. “He’s literally talking about quote, ‘radical left lunatics,’ and then one of those lunatics he addressed, he mentioned, was Congressman Adam Schiff.”
Tapper clarified that while criminals and violent migrants should indeed be dealt with, that wasn’t the issue at hand. “I’m talking about Donald Trump saying that he wants to use the National Guard and the military to go after the left,” Tapper reiterated.
Despite Tapper’s efforts to read and play the quotes, Youngkin continued to deny that Trump’s threats were directed at political opponents. “I don’t believe that’s what he’s saying,” Youngkin insisted. An exasperated Tapper responded, “You can wish that he wasn’t saying that, but that’s what he’s saying.”
The exchange highlighted the growing tension within the Republican Party, as leaders like Youngkin attempt to balance defending Trump while grappling with his increasingly extreme rhetoric. For Tapper, the challenge was to get Youngkin to acknowledge the gravity of Trump’s words, as he tried to bring the conversation back to the undeniable facts—Trump’s own statements.
