Sarah Matthews, a former White House aide to Donald Trump, delivered a sharp rebuke of the current administration on Friday, accusing it of 'gaslighting' the public. Her criticism came after the president shared a social media post that called for the execution of Democratic members of Congress.
A 'Mind-Boggling' Defense
In an appearance on MS NOW, Matthews described the situation as 'mind-boggling but not surprising.' The controversy stems from two specific actions by the former president. He shared a Truth Social user's post that demanded to 'HANG THEM,' a message aimed at Democratic veterans who had urged military members to refuse unlawful orders. In a separate post, he declared that 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR' was 'punishable by DEATH.'
Matthews, who served as a White House deputy press secretary during Trump's first term and resigned following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, expressed disbelief that officials like White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt were defending the posts. 'It's absolutely insane,' she stated.
Inciting Violence and a Double Standard
Matthews directly challenged the administration's narrative. She countered Leavitt's claim that a video from Democrats could incite violence. 'To me, it looks like the president is the one very clearly inciting violence here,' Matthews argued.
She also highlighted the stark double standard in the political response. 'If this was any other president, we would be having conversations about the 25th Amendment,' she noted, emphasizing the severity of a leader calling for members of the opposing party to be hanged.
Furthermore, Matthews pointed to the recent assassination attempt on Charlie Kirk as a moment when politicians called for de-escalation. 'But instead the president is the one who keeps continuing to just ratchet it up,' she lamented.
Republican Complicity and National Division
The former aide saved some of her strongest criticism for her fellow Republicans. She labeled it 'really shameful' that they are engaging in what she called 'sane-washing' Trump's posts instead of clearly condemning them as all lawmakers should.
'It really does speak to how we are so divided as a country and how Trump has just normalized this type of rhetoric and desensitized us as Americans that this is acceptable because it's not,' Matthews concluded, painting a picture of a political landscape where dangerous language has become commonplace.
