1/ 5 years ago, I used to go on and on about how Trump subscribed to the 10% theory.
What you are seeing and what you saw last night is a perfect illustration of that.
He's not trying to win the election. He's trying to win the fight *after* the election.
2/ The 10% theory was this super revisionist history that started percolating in right-wing media right after Obama came into office. It basically says that all you need is a fervent 10% of population and with that you can either bully others into support or silence.
3/ Right-wing media fed this notion to themselves for years. And, they attributed most major historical events to the the 10% theory - American revolution, Civil War, etc..etc..
4/ The proud boys stuff. And not just that, but the other groups he not only gins up (QAnon, white genocide, militias, etc...) coupled with his explicit call for his people to show up at the polls is precisely the 10% theory in action.
So what's this mean?
5/ It means a few things.
A) It means that what you saw last night was the floor, not the ceiling. He will get worse, say worse things and increasingly engage these groups.
B) You'll see more bogus attacks about voting fraud and attacks on election officials/integrity.
6/
C) You should expect to see his people ratcheting up antagonistic behavior. e.g. showing up in liberal or predominantly non-white neighborhoods because they know their presence alone is antagonistic and as result, they'll have higher chance of needing to "defend" themselves.
7/ But make no mistake. Trump's adherence to this 10% theory has been helpful in understanding a lot of what he does for years now.
He has such a symbiotic relationship with both the right-wing media and extremists that it's basically a perfect fit.
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