Former President Donald Trump has unleashed apocalyptic rhetoric in a new campaign urging supporters to donate to his “final battle fund.”
A Trump fundraising email sent to supporters on Wednesday maintains that donating to the former president’s campaign fund “truly is our country’s last hope” to decide “the very fate of our Republic,” claiming that the country is being attacked by a supposed “deep state” and will be “lost” if Trump does not win the 2024 election.
The email also promises that Trump will provide “retribution” for any “Patriot” who believes they have been wronged, echoing comments that the former president made during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland over the weekend.
“Patriot, There’s no way around it, 2024 is our FINAL BATTLE to save our country,” the email says. “Either we win, or they do—and if the Left wins, our Republic is LOST. That’s why, for this campaign, I’m not just your voice … I am your warrior, your justice, and YOUR RETRIBUTION.”
“But the harder I fight for YOU, the more vicious and vile the Deep State’s attacks become,” it continues. “Which is why I’m counting on your sustained support to counter them at every turn. And with our brand-new FINAL BATTLE FUND, we will do just that.”
An additional fundraising email sent on Wednesday pushes the “final battle,” while encouraging supporters to fight back against “persecution” and “never-ending witch hunts” by giving their money to Trump’s campaign.
“The reality is the attacks, the persecution, it will NEVER stop unless we finish what we started and obliterate the Deep State once and for all,” says the email.
A fundraising email sent earlier features only a black and white image of Trump alongside the words, “for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
The former president launched the dark “final battle” theme of his 2024 campaign during his CPAC speech on Saturday. The rhetoric was included in Trump’s prepared remarks, according to The New York Times, which reported on Tuesday that campaign aides “seemed pleased with the inherently sinister tone.”
“We’re not a free nation right now,” Trump said during the speech. “In 2016, I declared I am your voice. Today, I add I am your warrior, I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution … I will totally obliterate the deep state.”
“We will dismantle the deep state,” he added. “We will demolish woke tyranny, and we will restore the American republic to all of its radiant glory, and with God’s help and your support, we will make America powerful again.”
Thomas Lecaque, a historian specializing in apocalyptic religion and political violence, argued in an article published by Region Dispatches on Wednesday that Trump’s apocalyptic rhetoric was targeted toward QAnon conspiracy theory devotees, rather than an appeal to Christian conservatives.
“Trump’s speech was not the apocalypse of Christendom, it was the apocalypse of QAnon,” Lecaque wrote. “Trump’s playbook is not about the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s about America First—and the eschatology of QAnon ends in murder.”
“This is the rhetoric of incredible violence, of political opponents as monsters, as enemies of the country trying to destroy the nation,” he continued. “It’s Trump as a savior, yes, but it’s a war. It’s a war to destroy part of the country, the part that is not on their side.”
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s office for comment.
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