MSNBC contributor Al Sharpton seemed to forget one key point when adding to the arguments of a Rutgers University professor who contended that President Donald Trump would be “willing to start a physical war” in order to win a second term in office.
Speaking during a Thursday night panel discussion on MSNBC’s “The Beat” on the topic of signs the economy could be slowing down, Rutgers University women’s and gender studies professor Brittney Cooper referenced the Great Depression and World War II in her attempt to draw comparisons to the present day.
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“I am actually more concerned because this is not a man who retreats easily,” said Cooper. “What he has done is pursued a policy of protectionism, and one of the things we know is if we look at the World War II example is that protectionism and isolationism in the US context does not work, and one of the ways that we got ourselves out of the slump of protectionism in the 1940s was that we entered World War II.”
Cooper pointed to the “continued military posturing toward all of these countries” as something to watch for “because one of the old school American rescue missions is get us into a war because that is often seen as another driver of the economy.”
“And Trump wants one big key thing under his belt,” she concluded. “He either he wants his wall or he wants to ride out on the glory of the economy and if he can’t have that, I think he’s willing to start a physical war in order to do it.”
Sharpton continued with Cooper’s train of thought: “If you think the economy is sinking is frightening. Imagine our country at war with him as the commander in chief.” (RELATED: ‘Blame Whitey Movement’ — Former ACLU Exec Slams Reparations ‘Buffoonery’)
“That’s right,” said Cooper.
What Sharpton missed, of course, is that the United States is currently engaged in overseas conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria under President Trump.