Phoenix was the Launch for Trump’s Diabolical Plan for 2018.
While pundits analyze every word of last Tuesday’s deranged cult rally by Donald Trump, the nation missed the diabolical plan he revealed his presence in Phoenix, Arizona.
This was a campaign rally, and not necessarily for Trump’s 2020 reelection bid. One GOP politician he was stumping for was Rep. Trent Franks who was at the rally and photographed talking to Trump behind the scenes with other prospective Senate candidates. Franks is up for reelection in the 2018 midterms, but it is rumored he may be setting his sights on Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) seat and looking to Trump for financial support.
Many people believe choosing Phoenix had to do with the controversial pardoning of former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted for defying a court order to cease targeting illegal immigrants. When Trump did finally issue the pardon, he touched off a firestorm of vitriolic criticism. Had he done so in Phoenix, it would have likely led to riots. Some have proposed the rally was about propping up his fragile ego by speaking to his adoring fan base in a state he loves to visit, but based on the turnout and early departure of many attendees, this too seems an unlikely reason. Still others think it was about sending a message about immigration and undoing his earlier conciliatory speeches in the name of race relations.
All those reasons may be valid, but it was not what was driving the decision.
Trump is planning on backing Republican candidates in the midterm election that support his bigoted, hateful, and white nationalist agenda, and he was launching his effort in Arizona. He is not content to just have them in his administration, he wants to seed the House and Senate with them as well.
As a lifelong resident and a candidate for the House of Representatives for Congressional District 8, I can tell you no one volunteers to hold a conference, rally, town hall, or picnic in Phoenix during August without a sound reason. It is one of the hottest months of the year and a time when you are likely to encounter monsoon rains and stifling humidity. Most events are held at night when it is slightly cooler than Hades, but even then, it is difficult to entice people to attend because it is simply miserable. Trump was counting on this and was likely disappointed that it affected his crowds more than the protesters. Phoenix was selected for a strategic reason.
As a side note, this is a testament to how much Trump is despised as thousands of people turned out to demonstrate in the blistering heat. I marched arm-in-arm with these fine individuals and I can attest that there is nothing that will stop us from reclaiming this state from the brink of insanity.
Arizona is considered vulnerable to flipping blue as Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake are the second and third most disliked members of the Senate, and Democrats are challenging representatives in districts that have traditionally voted Republican.
Trump chose Phoenix because he is actively seeking candidates to replace McCain and Flake, as evidenced by his remarks in Phoenix bashing the two, but not mentioning them directly. McCain has stated he will not seek another term and given his health concerns, he is not expected to finish the current one.
Flake, in particular, has drawn Trump’s ire by publishing a book, Conscience of a Conservative, which he condemns the GOP’s support of the “erratic” administration “in one of the more reckless periods of politics in our history.” Additionally, he was vocal in calling for Trump to drop out of the presidential race when the “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced. Trump reportedly pledged $10 million to unseat Flake in 2018 and this war chest has Arizona GOP candidates salivating.
What went on behind the speech is the most telling.
Trump met with Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, a member of the Freedom Caucus and one of the wealthiest and most conservative members of Congress. Some Arizonans have been questioning whether Franks wants to run against Flake, and he has not confirmed nor denied this. Trump publicly praised Franks along with Rep. Andy Biggs during the rally, stating, “Never let them go, folks. Never let them go.” It appears to be a mutual love affair as Franks has been vocal in his support of Trump, even on some very unpopular issues.
Decades ago, Franks was tied to former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham, a man who was widely regarded as a bigot and an embarrassment to the state. Mecham opposed a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, used the derogatory term “pickaninny” to describe African American children, and was finally removed from office via impeachment on charges of obstruction of justice.
Franks, a member of the Judiciary Committee, has called for special counsel Robert Mueller to resign. If that is not chilling enough, he has published articles on Breitbart such as a rambling, almost incoherent article on the 60-vote rule and another praising Trump on the pardoning of Arpaio and undermining the judicial system, calling the convicted former sheriff a “victim of political assassination.” He is now making appearances on Fox News to further the president’s agenda.
Last month, he added an amendment to the Defense Department spending bill to identify “violent or unorthodox Islamic doctrine” which would invite discrimination against Muslim communities. His Islamophobia dates back to 2009 when he called for the House sergeant at arms to investigate if Muslim spies were posing as interns. Franks was also honored by Center for Security Policy, founded by prominent anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney, an organization which is regarded as the mouthpiece for the growing anti-Muslim movement in the US.
It appears that putting the GOP party above country has been replaced with installing supporters of Trump’s white nationalist agenda. Phoenix shows us that this new approach focuses on the removal of Republican leadership who criticize this overt bigotry and discrimination and supports those who are willing to publicly defend Trump as his policies. The message was clear. Those who are loyal can expect pardons and campaign funds, and those who are critical, even in his own party, can expect to a vigorous opposition.
Brianna Westbrook
U.S. House Candidate
Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District
