Conservative commentator Charlie Sykes offered a troubling interpretation of Donald Trump’s recent social media posts accusing Kamala Harris of sharing fake crowd photos. Trump claimed that his Democratic rival had used artificial intelligence to fabricate images of large crowds welcoming her at a Michigan airport, but Sykes told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Trump’s real motive might be setting the stage for another attempt to overturn an election loss.
“As we’re watching this, you know, decomposition meltdown by Donald Trump, notice that not a single prominent Republican is looking at this and saying, ‘Hey, you know, let’s get off this train, this is deeply wrong, let’s go in a different direction or change my vote,'” Sykes said. “They’re completely locked in. I also agree with you, that what’s really rattling Donald Trump is that this has become a cultural phenomenon, not simply a political phenomenon.”
Sykes expressed concern that Trump’s behavior is not just sad or alarming, but “profoundly dangerous.” He argued that Trump’s claims are more than just deep swamp conspiracy theories; they are part of a broader strategy to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the upcoming election. “He’s using this as, you know, a way of saying that the Democrats are cheating, that Kamala Harris should be disqualified,” Sykes added.
Sykes warned that Trump appears to be questioning the election’s legitimacy even before it takes place, as he did four years ago. “This is pre-election denialism by Donald Trump,” he said. “It’s no mystery, that Donald Trump is never going to graciously concede defeat in this election. He’s already laying the groundwork for what’s going to happen after November.
I think this is going to be an extraordinarily dangerous period. He has election deniers in key states, his base is psychologically not prepared for him to lose.” According to Sykes, Trump’s actions reflect the desperation of a man who knows the stakes are higher than just political office. “Donald Trump will not simply lose the election.
Donald Trump knows if he is not elected president, he may be going to jail. He will do and say anything,” Sykes added. “You see in that tweet, not merely the fact that he is rattled and losing it, but that he is already coming up with his lines for why he can deny the results of the election, how Kamala Harris’ nomination is unconstitutional, how this is being stolen—all of that in advance.”
Sykes concluded with a stark warning: “No one should be surprised or think that this fever is going to break on Nov. 5. Whatever happens, we are about to head into a very dangerous period in American politics, led by Donald Trump, obviously assisted by Republicans who simply have decided that they’re not going to draw the line.”