The former Navy captain and astronaut says "we're in some seriously challenging times".

US Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has said he will “seriously consider” running for president in 2028 as he battles the Trump administration over a video in which he urged military personnel to refuse illegal orders.

The Arizona senator, who was accused of “seditious behaviour” by Donald Trump over the November clip, said he and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, received “many” death threats after the president’s comments.

“We get them on a weekly basis now,” he told BBC Newsnight. “We had to get security to protect us 24 hours a day.”

Asked if he was considering a White House run, the retired Navy captain said he was considering it “because we’re in some seriously challenging times”.

  • 7101334@lemmy.world
    3·
    vor 2 Tagen

    Have you seen how other Republicans are frequently defying Trump? (Mandatory “fuck them anyway” disclaimer, but still.) I’m sure he’ll try, but I don’t think he has the political capital to pull of a coup, and I don’t think there’s any route for him to build that capital before the deadline.

    • dantheclamman@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      vor 2 Tagen

      I don’t think he can unilaterally seize power, because you’re right: not enough Republicans would support such a scenario. But I am concerned he can screw it up enough that no one will be able to accept the outcome. And as we saw with Minnesota, he can make an example of some cities and enrage enough people to trigger broader civil unrest.

      • 7101334@lemmy.world
        2·
        vor 2 Tagen

        Yes, but… they don’t have the numbers to do that nationwide simultaneously. At least not yet, they’re recruiting heavily, but the results of that drive seem pretty unimpressive so far.

        Also I’m convinced they got scared out of Minnesota because people started patrolling the streets with guns, doing checkpoints, and generally warming up to the idea that they may need to shoot their way out of this situation. I think that actually did scare them, but that’s just my opinion.

        • dantheclamman@lemmy.world
          2·
          vor 1 Tag

          Yeah, I am glad Minnesotans defended themselves. I just am very concerned about a cycle of mutual retaliation and cleansing getting kicked up.