‘He’s Trying To Scare People!’ MSNBC Guest Maya Rupert Says Trump Prison Threats Evoke Jim Crow Voter Suppression ‘At The Highest Order’
Podcaster and commentator Maya Rupert, former campaign manager for Democrat Julián Castro, said that comments made by Donald Trump over the weekend should be “disqualifying” for a presidential candidate, and amount to Jim Crow-era voter suppression.
Rupert appeared on the latest edition of The Sunday Show on MSNBC, during which she and guest-host Charles M. Blow discussed Trump’s comments and how voters should react to them.
Trump threatened to prosecute those he deems election cheaters “to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences,” and added that “this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials.”
“Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country,” he threatened.
Blow brought up the remarks and others Trump has made threatening retribution to Rupert.
“This idea of jailing people for voting has been a voter suppression tactics since the beginning of Jim Crow. Is that what’s happening here?” he asked.
“That’s exactly what’s happening,” said Rupert. “This should be disqualifying, for him to say so plainly that he plans on jailing his opponents and extending that to voters, to donors, to political operatives.”
Rupert went on to indict political media and punditry for chalking up such comments from Trump to just another example of him “melting down” on social media. “This has to stop,” she said.
BLOW: What is he trying to do here? I mean, this idea of jailing people for voting has been a voter suppression tactics since the beginning of Jim Crow. Is that what’s happening here?
RUPERT: That’s exactly what’s happening. And honestly, this should be the first question he gets on Tuesday. It should be every question that every Republican who is still supporting him should be answering. This should be disqualifying, for him to say so plainly that he plans on jailing his opponents and extending that to voters, to donors, to political operatives.
He is trying to — it is voter suppression at the highest order. He is trying to scare people out of participating in the process. That is – that goes against every single thing we stand for as a country. And it should not be treated as, ‘oh, that’s just Donald Trump melting down on social media again.’ We have to stop this, ‘he has a different bar’ because we’re so used to him spouting nonsense. That is terrifying.
And everyone who is talking to him and talking to anyone supporting him should be leading with, “how do you feel about that?”
Watch the clip above via MSNBC.
