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- Donald Trump said in a social media post that he expects to be arrested this week and called for his supporters to protest.
- His niece, Mary Trump, says his rhetoric could lead to political violence breaking out across the U.S.
- She said Trump continues to engage in what she called "stochastic terrorism."
Donald Trump's niece Mary Trump says her uncle is pulling from his usual playbook by calling on supporters to protest his possible arrest, and she fears it could lead to political violence breaking out across the U.S.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is thought to be eyeing charges in the investigation into hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with Trump.
He recently offered Trump the chance to testify before the grand jury, indicating that a decision on indictments is looming.
The former president said in a social media post on Saturday that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday and called for his supporters to protest. However, Trump's lawyer and spokesperson said there had been no communication from prosecutors.
In recent days, Trump has continued to criticize the investigation, attacked Bragg, a Democrat, and called on his supporters to "TAKE OUR NATION BACK"— evoking rhetoric he used before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021.
Mary Trump, a psychologist, said she is concerned that her uncle's comments could again spark political violence "anywhere" in the country in the coming days and weeks.
"It's something about which we always need to be concerned," she told MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan.
"Quite honestly, it's not in the venues themselves, I'm sure New York and D.C. have this covered... It's more that Donald continues to engage in this kind of stochastic terrorism that as we've seen in the not too distant past, really has devastating consequences. So unfortunately, this is the kind of thing where violence could break out anywhere in the country and it's very difficult to prepare for that."
Asked if Trump's actions indicate he is defiant, cornered, or desperate, Mary Trump said that it was likely all three.
But she added that he was using the "same play" he always does "because it works."
"This is a person who does understand on some level that he's getting closer and closer to some sort of accountability," she said. "He probably doesn't believe it entirely because it's never happened but he knows that if he makes his grievance the grievance of the mob, if he makes rule of law, holding him accountable, a crime against real Americans, then we might be in for some trouble here."
Trump can be pragmatic, she said, because he "has millions of people who will do his bidding."
She added: "It is not an accident that he is already preempting reactions by calling for protests. We saw this happen before. We're going to see it happen again."
Newsweek has contacted Mary Trump and a spokesperson for Donald Trump for further comment.
About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more