It is as unfortunate as it is undeniable that some Democrats hold nothing but pure enmity and hatred toward former President Donald Trump and his devoted supporters, so much so that they have no qualms against wishing for death and destruction upon them over different political opinions.
That was evidenced Monday by a tweet from the Missouri Democratic Party which clearly implied that the home of a Trump supporter should be burned to the ground, according to Fox News.
The tweet was swiftly deleted, but not before screenshots were taken that subsequently went viral on social media and provoked controversy and significant backlash.
On Monday, Democratic fundraiser and influencer Jon Cooper posted on social media a picture of a house covered almost completely in pro-Trump flags and signs and asked, "What would you do if this was your next-door neighbor?"
The official account of the Missouri Democratic Party retweeted Cooper's post and added as a caption: "The roof, the roof, the roof is on [fire] we don’t need no water, let the ‘insert your word,’ burn!" and added the hashtag "#VoteBlue2024".
That reference to the old-school hip-hop classic "The Roof is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three was almost certainly meant to be humorous, but nobody other than Trump-hating Democrats was laughing at the ghastly tweet that clearly implied that the Trump supporter's home should be burnt to the ground.
Among those who shared the screenshot of the deleted Missouri Democrats tweet was Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who wrote Monday evening, "Here’s the Missouri Democrat Party advocating for a Trump supporter’s home to burn down. Sick. There’s no place for this kind of disgusting, violent rhetoric in Missouri."
Here’s the Missouri Democrat Party advocating for a Trump supporter’s home to burn down. Sick. There’s no place for this kind of disgusting, violent rhetoric in Missouri pic.twitter.com/LWS1EhjmOF
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 31, 2023
In a Tuesday afternoon follow-up, Hawley tweeted, "MO Dems now trying to bury their cheerleading for violence, but where is the apology to Missourians -- you know, the people whose houses they hope burn down? And have all MO Dems condemned this?"
It doesn't appear that a formal apology has been issued, nor has there been widespread condemnation of the fiery post from Democrats, though The Kansas City Star reported on Tuesday that the Missouri Democratic Party staffer deemed responsible for the post was "reprimanded" and at least two state-level elected Democrats did speak out against the offensive deleted tweet.
"It was inappropriate and was immediately taken down on our own initiative because it did not represent the need, even in these divided political times, for spirited yet constructive dialogue," Matthew Patterson, the executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party, told The Star. "The staff member in question has been appropriately reprimanded."
Patterson did not name the staffer or specify what, if any, actual disciplinary measures were taken, and, as if by reflex, immediately countered any goodwill the action may have earned by launching a partisan attack against Sen. Hawley as being "beyond hypocrisy" for calling out the inflammatory post.
As for the two Missouri elected Democrats who also called out the post, State Sen. Lauren Arthur of Kansas City said the post was "completely unacceptable" that there was "no room for that kind of discourse," and that "I oppose any sort of call for violence, especially political violence when it comes to opponents. I’m glad to see that action being taken and I think, probably, it’s long overdue at this point."
Meanwhile, State Rep. Sarah Unsicker of Shrewsbury, who is running to replace the Republican state attorney general, said in a social media post of her own, "Any organization that would post something like this needs a new social media director," and added, "Whoever posted this from the @modemparty and left it up long enough for a screenshot should be fired. This does not represent Missouri Democratic values."
