Amid the Georgia runoff results coming in to give Democrats Senate control for the first time in 10 years, Eric Trump threw another tantrum about the presidential election. In a Twitter rant, the least favorite Trump son threatened to personally end the career of any Republican lawmaker who doesn’t challenge Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote today. It’s a big day after all. Not only is it his birthday, but it is the day his father, lame duck President Donald Trump, believes he will finally overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
“Tomorrow’s gonna tell you a lot about the country,” Eric Trump said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Hannity, last night. “Because I can tell you, Sean, any senator or any congressman that does not – meaning on this side – that does not fight tomorrow, their political career is over. Because the MAGA movement is going nowhere!” Trump went on to explain that his father created the “greatest movement in American history” as he continued his line of threats to any conservative official who dares to step out of line.
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He repeated his threats on Twitter Tuesday night, this time directing his ire toward every Republican lawmaker who has not already sworn allegiance. “I will personally work to defeat every single Republican Senator/Congressman who doesn’t stand up against this fraud - they will be primaried in their next election and they will lose,” Trump tweeted. Ok!
I will personally work to defeat every single Republican Senator / Congressman who doesn’t stand up against this fraud - they will be primaried in their next election and they will lose.
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) January 6, 2021
Prior to Trump’s tantrum, 40 House Republicans and at least 13 Senate Republicans have said they would object to results in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania during the proceedings to formally confirm Biden’s victory. Despite making it perfectly clear that he has no such power, Donald Trump has also been putting pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the ceremony later today, to overturn the result.
This isn’t the first time that Donald Trump’s second oldest adult son has made unveiled threats to anyone who wouldn’t carry out his father’s bidding. Immediately after the election, Eric Trump criticized Republicans for failing to back his father as he struggled to win re-election. “Our voters will never forget you if your [sic] sheep!” he tweeted at the time. His older brother, Donald Trump Jr., also had some choice words for the party accusing them of being “weak.”
Petulant tweets aside, this particular Trump — or any Trump for that matter — can’t actually, legally, follow through on his threats. In fact, it could be considered coercion of political activity. This includes any attempt to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce any employee of the Federal Government “to engage in, or not engage in, any political activity, including, but not limited to, voting or refusing to vote for any candidate or measure in any election, making or refusing to make any political contribution, or working or refusing to work on behalf of any candidate.” Anyone who violates this subsection of law can be fined or imprisoned for up to three years. Here's hoping.