Report reveals some MAGA fans 'ready to take on a civil war' if Trump loses

24 October 2024

Atlantic reporter John Hendrickson set out on one mission during a Gwinnett County, Georgia event sponsored far-right MAGA ally Charlie Kirk earlier this week, by asking attendees one question: "What do you think will happen if [Donald] Trump loses?"

Hendrickson reports that he "heard a range of answers," including "promises to accept the outcome," and even "predictions of a new Civil War."

One MAGA fan, Joshua Barnes, told Hendrickson that if Kamala Harris defeats Trump, "as much as I would hate it, you kind of do have to accept it."

Another attendee named Mark Williams — who says he runs "the biggest political printing business in" The Peach State — told The Atlantic reporter me that "there’s going to be some crazy people that do some crazy s—t; that just happens. But the actions of most of us, I mean, we’ll bi—h about it and scream at each other and all that kind of stuff, but we’re not going to break into the Capitol and stuff."

He continued, "I’m as big a Trump supporter as anybody, but I didn’t feel compelled to go breaking into the Capitol. And those people that did that did wrong. And I don’t know that all of them did wrong, but the ones that did, they needed to be punished."

However, Williams also told Hendrickson about words he overheard from MAGA supporters while attending "Kid Rock’s Rock the Country festival in Rome, Georgia, earlier this year."

Hendrickson writes:

He described some of the chatter he heard at the festival, such as When we have to go out on the field and fight these people, y’all going to be there with us? 'It did surprise me a little bit, the tone that some of these guys were taking; I think there’s people that are absolutely ready to take on a civil war,' he said. 'I think that if there was an overwhelming view of a crooked election or something like that—yeah, I could see it happening.'

Ex-Trump official Ben Carson also weighed in, explaining that he doesn't think another January 6 is likely.

"I think regardless of who wins or loses, we’ve got to tone down the dissension and the hatred that’s going on in our country, or it’s going to be destroyed," Carson told Hendrickson.

Another former Trump official — Peter Navarro — took a different approach.

"By asking that question you’re trying to stir up s—t, man," he said to Hendrickson. Claiming that The Atlantic reporter's "query would be better suited for President Joe Biden and the Democrats," Navarro added, "Those a—holes put me in prison. Do you hear me?"

Hendrickson's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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