John Heilemann Suggests Donald Trump Will Employ Martial Law if it’s the Only Way to Stay in Power

MSNBC contributor John Heilemann doubled down on recent criticism he made of unmarked federal agents sent to Portland ostensibly to quell civil unrest. During a Thursday morning appearance on Morning Joe, Heilemann suggested that President Donald Trump would employ martial law if it was the only way he could stay in power.

At issue is President Trump’s reported direction of unmarked agents from the Department of Homeland Security who have allegedly flouted constitutional rights of legal protestors, and as a result, only stirred up more unrest in Portland. There are recent news reports that suggest similar forces will be sent to Kansas City and Chicago in the coming days as well.

During a Tuesday appearance, Heilemann suggested that Trump would use force to steal an election. “I don’t want to be overly alarmist about this, but this is the time to be alarmist knowing where Donald Trump stands politically, understanding where we are headed in this election,” he continued, adding, “I think we are looking at potentially a trial run for a kind of — a genuine attempt to, through intimidation, and potentially through force, to try to — to try to steal this election.”

On Thursday, Heilemann went further, suggesting that Trump would use force not just to steal an election, but to broadly stay in power. Heilemann’s comments:

This is how it would happen. This is how the movie would play out and anybody who’s not looking at this with a state of alarm and concern and worried about is this president going to employ formally Martial Law, at some point as Ron Wyden suggested. Is that on the president’s mind? Is there anybody having watched Donald Trump for the last three and a half years who doesn’t think Donald Trump would try to employ Martial Law if he thought that was the only way to stay in power. I ask you Joe, is there anybody who sensible who comes on this show, who doesn’t think that’s possible?

Co-host Joe Scarborough demurred in his response and threw to fell0w co-host Willie Geist for his signature anodyne commentary.

Watch above via MSNBC.