Trump blasted for suggesting Biden 'would have been given the electric chair' at NRA convention

Comments Donald Trump made Saturday during a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention speech — as he faces 34 felony counts in his New York criminal trial — caused MSNBC's The Weekend co-hosts to raise alarm.

Speaking to the NRA convention crowd, the ex-president claimed that "Manchurian candidate" President Joe Biden has accepted money from Russia, China and Ukraine, insisting, "If that were a Republican, he would have been given the electric chair, they would have brought back the death penalty."

After showing a clip of the MAGA hopeful's speech, co-host Alicia Menendez emphasized, "A reminder — in case you needed one — a political candidate alluding to the execution of a sitting president in front of the most prominent organization of gun owners. Definitely not normal."

READ MORE: Trump’s 'violent' rhetoric is having real-life consequences: columnist

Menendez, along with fellow co-hosts Symone Sanders, and former RNC Chair Michael Steele, spoke with Sara Matthews, who testified publicly during the House January 6 Committee hearings, about the implications of Trump's rhetoric.

"Look, okay, so Trump is a liar, well established, we know that," Steele said. The projection around Biden taking money from Russia and all these places, we know that. But, when you are standing in front of a group like the NRA, when you are standing in front of a group that has very, very strong views about this administration, the Biden administration and Donald Trump for that matter, what is the signaling, from inside the bubble a little bit with Trump, what is the signaling that is going on there? Is it as blatant as making a comment about executing a president or is it something more or something less, is it just Trump standing there running his mouth?"

Matthews replied, "I think that Donald Trump knows this audience that would be at a convention for the NRA are people that are a part of his base. And so he's going to say things like this where it is going to rile them up and get them excited. I think he knows that, in his mind, he thinks it is a joke where he's joking about 'Oh, he needs the electric chair,' but you shouldn't be talking about that with anyone in general, but especially not the sitting US president."

"And I think he does it because he wants to get a reaction out of them, and thinks it'll be entertaining. But I think he doesn't care about how his rhetoric has gotten increasingly erratic, and he has this culture of political violence," Matthews added. "So it is concerning when we are looking at it, but it follows this pattern we have seen from the 2024 campaign thus far."

READ MORE: 'Hangable offense': MAGA fans inspired by Trump’s 'rhetoric' call for judges to be 'executed'

"I think it is sad because we have normalized this rhetoric with Trump. Some Americans don't even think twice when he makes these comments because they are so conditioned and used to him talking like this. But this is not normal, we should not have the Republican candidate for president making jokes about executing the current sitting U.S. president."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Trump blasted after suggesting Biden 'would have been given the electric chair' at NRA conventionwww.youtube.com