Right wing media and politicians claim that opponents of President Donald Trump are orchestrating a coup d’etat. These claims are focused primarily on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the FBI. They also sometimes point to the Clintons, former President Barack Obama, and the “deep state” and “liberals” generically as perpetrators of this supposed “soft coup.”
As I have documented previously, such rhetoric is dangerous for many reasons. These include potentially undermining the findings of Mueller’s investigation, or even setting the stage for political violence meant to consolidate President Trump’s power against perceived domestic “enemies” or “terrorists.”
#CoupWatch is a project to monitor and document the use of “coup rhetoric” among right wing media and politicians.