Maddow Blog-'Paid insurrectionists': Amid unrest in L.A, Trump returns to an unsettling old favorite

[LetMyPeopleVote]

For nearly a decade, the president has accused those protesting against him of being “paid protesters.” It’s a ridiculous claim rooted in a scary subtext.

As Trump clings to his “paid insurrectionists” line, there’s an unsettling subtext:

For Trump, Americans who disagree with him are effectively an impossibility that can only be explained through corrupt schemes and illicit payments. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-06-10T19:09:42.597Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/paid-insurrectionists-unrest-l-trump-returns-unsettling-old-favorite-rcna212142

The Republican replied that he would “take a look at what’s happening,” which wasn’t exactly reassuring. But before moving on, Trump blamed local unrest on “paid insurrectionists.”

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:aunpu65mdrhwfie7ynymlzeh/post/3lrbedg5qxc2t

Link to tweet

He’s been pushing the same line quite a bit in recent days. A day earlier, the president also told reporters: “The people that are causing the problem are professional agitators.” Over the weekend, he also used his social media platform to complain about “paid troublemakers” and “paid insurrectionists.”

If the line sounds familiar, it’s not your imagination.

As regular readers might recall, it was nearly nine years ago when Trump’s 2016 candidacy inspired protests, at which point he assumed that the people involved couldn’t possibly be sincere in their dislike of him. They were, he said at the time, “paid agitators.”

After he prevailed on Election Day 2016, there was related anti-Trump activism. Those involved, he said in November 2016, were “paid protesters.” Months later, after his inauguration, the activism continued. Trump assured the public once more that these Americans deserved to be ignored — because, he assumed, they were “paid protesters.”

The following year, Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination inspired another round of progressive activism. The protesters, Trump insisted, were “paid professionals.”....

Indeed, it’s hardly a stretch to draw a straight line from “paid protesters” rhetoric to election denialism: Americans who side with Trump and Republicans are real, while Americans who disagree must necessarily be seen as inauthentic.

Whether the president is prepared to accept this or not, the fact remains that Americans who take to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with him don’t need to be compensated: Their outrage is sincere.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Karoline Leavitt stumbles when asked to prove Trump wasn't lying about protests

trump has paid people to attend his events and so assumes that everyone does this. trump has claimed that all protestors are paid agitators because this is what he would have done

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt deflected when she was asked to prove President Donald Trump wasn't lying about "paid insurrectionists" in Los Angeles.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2025-06-11T17:55:27Z

https://www.rawstory.com/karoline-leavitt-paid-insurrectionists

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt deflected when she was asked to prove President Donald Trump wasn't lying about "paid insurrectionists" in Los Angeles.

The press secretary was asked about Trump's remarks during Wednesday's White House briefing.

"The president said yesterday that paid insurrectionists were behind or involved in the protests in Los Angeles," a reporter noted. "Does the White House have any more details about who they believe is paying these insurrectionists?"

"Yeah, the president spoke about this last night when he returned from Fort Bragg because frankly, the president has a lot of common sense," Leavitt replied. "And if you look at some of the imagery that we have received from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE and law enforcement who are on the ground, you will see boxes and boxes of very professionalized masks and rioting equipment being dropped off for these protesters."

"So it's a good question the president is raising and one we are looking into about who is funding these insurrectionists and these rioters and these protesters and these illegal criminals," she continued. "So, who is funding these illegal aliens who are coming in with this very professional riot gear?"

"It's a question everyone in this room, who cares about truth, should be asking. And we encourage your help in trying to get to the bottom of that question."

[AllaN01Bear]

4. the party of deflection at it again, eh?

umbriag.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. This made me smile

[Johonny]

3. People hate him for free

Because he is an asshole

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. There were no paid protesters

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Is the Justice Department seriously pursuing Trump's 'paid protesters' conspiracy theory?

Is the Justice Department seriously pursuing Trump’s ‘paid protesters’ conspiracy theory?

Is the Justice Department seriously pursuing Trump’s ‘paid protesters’ conspiracy theory? - MSNBC

apple.news/AqydQ2Z6mRzu...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-06-12T16:20:07.015Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/justice-department-seriously-pursuing-trumps-paid-protesters-conspirac-rcna212613

For nearly a decade, Donald Trump has tried to reject the legitimacy of those who protest against him, falsely accusing them of being “paid protesters.” It’s a pitch rooted in an ugly assumption: Americans who disagree with the president can only be explained by corrupt schemes and illicit payments.

Those who side with Republicans are real, the argument goes, while Americans who disagree must be seen as inauthentic......

But even more interesting were the comments from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during her recent Fox News appearance.

Link to tweet

“This is something that the Department of Justice and the FBI are looking into. Who is funding these protestors?” the DNI asked rhetorically. Gabbard added that she believes that protesters are “obviously” being “orchestrated.”

For now, let’s not dwell on the fact that it’s not at all “obvious” that a secret rascal is putting up enormous amounts of money to pay people to protest against the president and his agenda. Given the scope of the public outrage, the idea that the protesters — in L.A. and in cities across the country — are being paid is plainly silly.

But I’m wondering if Gabbard is correct about what federal law enforcement is “looking into.”

Just because the DNI claimed that Trump’s conspiracy theory is generating Justice Department and FBI scrutiny doesn’t mean that it’s actually happening. Gabbard says all sorts of things that have little bearing on reality, so it’s best not to make any assumptions.

But if she’s correct, it’s unsettling to think federal law enforcement resources have been diverted in such a ridiculous way.

What’s more, there’s a larger pattern to consider. The New York Times reported this week that top officials at the DOJ and the FBI are scrambling to keep up with Trump priorities that are “rooted in misinformation and conspiracy theories.” The article added that Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino are now “running what amounts to a conspiracy theory fulfillment center with unstocked shelves, critics say.”