The Western Journal posted an article yesterday featuring a Craigslist ad (that has since been taken down). The ad calls for people who have the coronavirus to attend the Trump rally in Oklahoma.
This is a screenshot of the ad (taken from the Craigslist archives):
This is likely someone involved in a sick hoax, an internet troll desperate for attention. The strange language of the ad — particularly the odd dress requirements — make this seem like a prank that seemed like a good idea at 4 a.m. in a college dorm room somewhere after more than a few intoxicating beverages.
The problem is that someone might actually take this call to action seriously, given that there are more enough people who have become convinced Trump is the nexus of evil in this world and that the supporters who show up to his rallies are nothing less than Satan’s minions.
How many of these people have COVID-19 is another matter entirely. As of Tuesday, there had been 1,729 confirmed cases in Tulsa County, according to the Tulsa Health Department.
…The responsibility for this should lie solely on whoever posted it, but we ought to consider the toxic environment in which this could even be considered possible. It’s wildly implausible that this would have happened during any prior presidency. But the country has been been whipped up to the extent that an ad like this, sadly, feels almost inevitable.
There are lessons about Trump Derangement Syndrome be learned from this. Will we learn them? That’s hoping too much.
The extent of our hope in this case is that the person or persons involved in this are tracked down and dealt with accordingly. Given that this is nothing less than a call to use oneself as a silent, deadly weapon, the possibility of criminal charges should definitely be on the table.
The Western Journal has reached out to Craigslist for comment.
If this is real, it is unacceptable. If this is a joke, it is not funny.