Several articles recently published in the Arab press speculated that American elements might attempt to assassinate U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. They noted that Trump has many enemies in U.S. political circles and among various sectors of American society, who are inciting the public against him and thwarting a smooth transition of power, and that these circles and sectors may yield a potential assassin.
The following are excerpts from some of these articles.
Al-Ahram Columnist: I Predict Trump Will Soon Be Assassinated
In a January 18, 2017 article titled "Trump Assassinated – A Report We Will Soon See," Hani 'Asl, a columnist for the Egyptian government daily Al-Ahram, predicted that Trump would be killed. He wrote: "I predict that Trump will be assassinated, if not immediately then soon, and the reasons for this are many. Trump's opponents, Democratic and other, remind us of the people who filled the squares during our [Arab] Spring. It's the same strategy, the same wickedness and the same methods of protest. They see only themselves, and anyone who disagrees with them is a criminal. Democracy, elections and referendums do not impress them. [For them,] whoever shouts loudest, makes the biggest commotion and the most noise and is the biggest thug is the winner. We see them everywhere, clapping their hands and shouting, and the media glorifies them.
"The American 'rebels' began by leaking embarrassing videos and false news and rumors about the Republican presidential nominee. After he surprised them and won, they undermined the most basic values of democracy, refused to recognize his victory and threatened to not cooperate with him. In fact, some radicals threatened that California would announce its secession [from the Union]...
"As the day of his inauguration drew near, they began placing more and more obstacles in his path. On one occasion, the failing [president] Obama issued some advice to the new Trump administration on how to run the country, as though Obama had a recipe for success. On another occasion they refrained from vetoing the famous UN Security Council resolution [condemning] the [Israeli] settlements, in order to embroil Trump in a crisis with Israel and the Jewish lobby [in the U.S.]. On a third occasion, [U.S. State Secretary John] Kerry delivered a strange statement on the strategy for achieving peace in the Middle East, [which sounded] as though brother [Kerry] had slept through the last two Democratic terms in the White House... On a fourth occasion [they] sparked unnecessary conflicts with Russia in order to escalate the hostility between the Kremlin and the new Trump administration... They are even trying to sabotage the inauguration, as evidenced by [the fact that] boycotting it has become a plague... while another group [of Trump opponents] chose to organize some processions and protests on the street, which they referred to as 'activities,' some of which turned violent, in an attempt to spark riots in the streets. [They did this] especially by inciting the ethnic and religious minorities such as the blacks, the Muslims and the Hispanics, trying to cause them to rebel against the new administration. [Exactly] the same methods [used by the rebels in Egypt]!
"Moreover, large and sensitive U.S. institutions plan to confront Trump or have already confronted him... such as the four intelligence agencies... We must not forget that the decisions Trump is expected to make immediately upon entering office – such as his intention to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terror organization, cancel the deal with Iran and build the fence on the Mexican [border] – will make him additional enemies. But the really scary confrontation will come after Trump launches a campaign to purge the U.S. government ministries, including the Department of Defense, [i.e.,] the Pentagon, [and to eliminate] the gangs that hide within the intelligence and security agencies that are the hub of global conspiracies, in order to remove Democrats and replace them with Republicans he trusts... In these [circles] there may be someone who will try to eliminate the problem [called Trump] with a single bullet in order to protect their interests and gladden Obama and Hillary, [perhaps] even under the slogan of defending democracy and the U.S."[1]
Egyptian Columnist: Resistance To Trump And Protests Against Him Could Lead To Attempts To Harm Him
Also in November 2016, immediately after Trump's election victory, Ahmad 'Abd Al-Tawwab, a columnist for the official Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, warned of the possibility that the president-elect would be assassinated. In a November 14 article titled "Will [Things Escalate] To A Trump Assassination?!", he wrote: "There are some important questions that do not have convincing answers regarding the daily proliferation and expansion of furious anti-Trump protests, which have now spread [even] to states where [Trump] just won, such as Florida... The questions build up in light of massive TV networks and global newspapers that, contrary to every professional norm, continue criticizing Trump and questioning his ability to perform the duties as president now that the results [of the election] are in.
"Some will explain this by saying that Trump opened up many fronts and incurred the fierce hostility of many elements, and that the immigrants, Muslims, blacks, and all other oppressed groups that he offended with his rash statements are not the strongest among [those elements]. There are some elements in regime and influential and interested circles in society, who understood ahead of time the danger of standing by and allowing [Trump] to enter the White House. For these people, Hillary [Clinton] was the desired successor [to Obama] since she supports many of their policies and there is no risk that she will pounce without discretion and open up their still-hot cases, such as those pertaining to the disasters they cause in our region. These [elements] include weapons manufacturers and dealers, and the influential sectors that grow rich off of global wars. This, in addition to large groups of investors who exploit laws enabling them to liquidate their U.S. businesses without considering the [negative] consequences [of this]...
"It is politically unwise to reject the possibility that these elements are somehow involved in the protests. Who knows, perhaps the violence that has now reared its head could develop into terrorist actions that will personally harm Trump!"[2]
Article On Hizbullah Website: There May Be A U.S. Plot To Assassinate Trump And Replace Him With Pence
Speculations about a possible assassination of Trump also appeared on the Hizbullah-owned website Al-Ahed News. In a November 10 article, 'Ali 'Abadi wrote that political elements in the U.S. might have him assassinated so that his vice president, Mike Pence, would take his place: "Trump's presidency may be plagued by problems between him and the politicians and media outlets that form the mainstays of the traditional [political] system. [Trump] believes that these elements are conspiring [against him] and want to eliminate him and his voters, so we may soon witness a surprise or surprises in America.
"We must remember that during the [presidential] primaries, Trump managed to impose himself as the nominee of the Republican party, which was initially unsure [he was fit to serve as president], due to his strange personality and his irresponsible speeches, and because he does not belong to the traditional political club. [But] when it saw [the Republican] voters flocking to him, the party leadership decided to give this 'wild horse' a chance to run against its other nominees. After he beat them, it decided, given the circumstances, to endorse him as its candidate. But there is a theory that this old party, with its cunning members, means to control the situation by means of [Trump's] vice president, Mike Pence. According to this scenario, Trump will [only] serve as the rocket that carries the satellite. Once in orbit, [the rocket] will explode in space and the satellite will strt moving on its designated path!
"Hence, the first conflict that takes place between Trump and politicians in Washington may be the first step in an effort to isolate him by [publicizing] some scandal or by eliminating him, physically or politically, and then Pence can be president in his place. American history is full of plots against presidents who did not follow the path set out for them, and Trump may be no exception..."[3]
