Trump supporters stop their vehicles and block traffic on the Tappen Zee Bridge also called the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on November 1, 2020 in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
Nov 01, 2020
Amnesty International on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump for "condoning violence and intimidation" after the president applauded the caravan of his truck-driving supporters that surrounded a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway Friday, prompting allegations of reckless endangerment and an FBI probe of the incident.
"In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong," Trump tweeted hours after absurdly claiming that his supporters were "protecting" the Biden campaign's bus. "Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!"
Following the swarming of the Biden campaign bus by dozens of Trump supporters attempting to bring the bus to a halt, Texas Democrats canceled three scheduled events for the former vice president due to safety concerns.
In a series of tweets late Friday, Dr. Eric Cervini, a historian and Biden campaign volunteer, said the pickup trucks with Trump flags were "sitting along I-35, waiting to ambush the Biden/Harris campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who represents constituents in San Antonio and Austin, toldThe Guardian that "this aggressive, abusive conduct by his supporters results from Trump continuing to incite acts of intimidation and violence."
"We have to stand up to these bullies," Doggett added, "just as we seek to protect the right of every last Texan to vote out the Bully-in-Chief."
The president's supporters also wreaked havoc in New Jersey and New York on Sunday, bringing traffic to a halt on two major highways and potentially offering a preview of Trump-endorsed mass chaos to come on Election Day and the days that follow.
"I took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone [Bridge]," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) quipped in response to a Trump supporter's video of the blockade in New York.
\u201cI took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1604269872
New York state Sen. David Carlucci, a Democrat, called the Trump backers' behavior "aggressive, dangerous, and reckless" and accused them of "causing danger to themselves and others."
"The New York State Police should be working to identify these individuals and charging them," said Carlucci. "We all have the right to show support for a presidential candidate, but we do not have the right to endanger others and break the law."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Amnesty International on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump for "condoning violence and intimidation" after the president applauded the caravan of his truck-driving supporters that surrounded a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway Friday, prompting allegations of reckless endangerment and an FBI probe of the incident.
"In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong," Trump tweeted hours after absurdly claiming that his supporters were "protecting" the Biden campaign's bus. "Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!"
Following the swarming of the Biden campaign bus by dozens of Trump supporters attempting to bring the bus to a halt, Texas Democrats canceled three scheduled events for the former vice president due to safety concerns.
In a series of tweets late Friday, Dr. Eric Cervini, a historian and Biden campaign volunteer, said the pickup trucks with Trump flags were "sitting along I-35, waiting to ambush the Biden/Harris campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who represents constituents in San Antonio and Austin, toldThe Guardian that "this aggressive, abusive conduct by his supporters results from Trump continuing to incite acts of intimidation and violence."
"We have to stand up to these bullies," Doggett added, "just as we seek to protect the right of every last Texan to vote out the Bully-in-Chief."
The president's supporters also wreaked havoc in New Jersey and New York on Sunday, bringing traffic to a halt on two major highways and potentially offering a preview of Trump-endorsed mass chaos to come on Election Day and the days that follow.
"I took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone [Bridge]," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) quipped in response to a Trump supporter's video of the blockade in New York.
\u201cI took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1604269872
New York state Sen. David Carlucci, a Democrat, called the Trump backers' behavior "aggressive, dangerous, and reckless" and accused them of "causing danger to themselves and others."
"The New York State Police should be working to identify these individuals and charging them," said Carlucci. "We all have the right to show support for a presidential candidate, but we do not have the right to endanger others and break the law."
Amnesty International on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump for "condoning violence and intimidation" after the president applauded the caravan of his truck-driving supporters that surrounded a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway Friday, prompting allegations of reckless endangerment and an FBI probe of the incident.
"In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong," Trump tweeted hours after absurdly claiming that his supporters were "protecting" the Biden campaign's bus. "Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!"
Following the swarming of the Biden campaign bus by dozens of Trump supporters attempting to bring the bus to a halt, Texas Democrats canceled three scheduled events for the former vice president due to safety concerns.
In a series of tweets late Friday, Dr. Eric Cervini, a historian and Biden campaign volunteer, said the pickup trucks with Trump flags were "sitting along I-35, waiting to ambush the Biden/Harris campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who represents constituents in San Antonio and Austin, toldThe Guardian that "this aggressive, abusive conduct by his supporters results from Trump continuing to incite acts of intimidation and violence."
"We have to stand up to these bullies," Doggett added, "just as we seek to protect the right of every last Texan to vote out the Bully-in-Chief."
The president's supporters also wreaked havoc in New Jersey and New York on Sunday, bringing traffic to a halt on two major highways and potentially offering a preview of Trump-endorsed mass chaos to come on Election Day and the days that follow.
"I took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone [Bridge]," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) quipped in response to a Trump supporter's video of the blockade in New York.
\u201cI took the Throggs Neck. Heard there was a pileup of chumps on the Whitestone\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1604269872
New York state Sen. David Carlucci, a Democrat, called the Trump backers' behavior "aggressive, dangerous, and reckless" and accused them of "causing danger to themselves and others."
"The New York State Police should be working to identify these individuals and charging them," said Carlucci. "We all have the right to show support for a presidential candidate, but we do not have the right to endanger others and break the law."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.