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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14510738" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kelly-townsend" source="Orion">Kelly Townsend</keyword> and Wendy Rogers, two far-right Arizona state senators, are facing off in a GOP primary.</li><li>Rogers has been endorsed by <keyword id="6354862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump" source="Orion">Trump</keyword> and has ties to white nationalists known as "Groypers".</li></ul>APACHE JUNCTION, Arizona — At a town hall-style event held by the Superstition Mountain Republican Club last Thursday evening, a state legislative primary that may be Arizona's most contentious took center stage.Two ultra-conservative state senators, both of whom have aggressively promoted the idea that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, made their case to an audience of roughly 100 middle-age and elderly voters at a charter elementary school on the eastern edge of the Phoenix metro area."I wanted to say hi to my colleague, Sen. Kelly Townsend," said state Sen. Wendy Rogers, who is a member of the Oath Keepers militia, with a hint of sarcasm as she began her pitch. Addressing the room after remarks by US Senate candidate Blake Masters, Rogers took a minute to thank her supporters, reading off a list of names from her phone that included "Wendy's Goon Squad" and a "troll army." Met with silence, she set down the phone and launched into her stump speech. Townsend, a fellow Republican state senator and Rogers' opponent in the August 2 primary, sat in the front row as Rogers sold herself as a bike-riding, truck-owning workhorse. "I should be a poster girl for Toyota, but they're too woke for me," said Rogers. With less than two weeks to go until the primary election — and with scores of mail-in ballots being returned each day — the race between the two pro-Trump legislators now hinges largely on whether GOP voters will tolerate Rogers' <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/03/02/wendy-rogers-refuses-to-condemn-white-nationalist-leader-after-gop-senator-challenges-her/">embrace</a> of <keyword id="12997627" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nick-fuentes" source="Orion">Nick Fuentes</keyword>, a 23-year-old far-right political commentator who the FBI has identified as a white supremacist and with an <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/02/22/the-groyper-army-is-looking-to-make-white-nationalism-mainstream-it-has-key-allies-in-arizona-politics/">online following known as "Groypers."</a> Townsend, who abandoned a nascent congressional bid in March to challenge her one-time ally in their <a href="https://redistricting-irc-az.hub.arcgis.com/pages/official-maps">newly-combined 7th legislative district</a>, has made Rogers' ties with Fuentes a key issue in the final weeks of the race."I was not familiar with who Nick Fuentes was," Townsend told Insider in a phone interview on Friday. "I went and watched a compilation video that someone showed me, and I was horrified." Townsend says she gave up one of the most coveted commodities in GOP <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword> today — a <keyword id="13166625" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump-endorsement" source="Orion">Trump endorsement</keyword> — in order to run.<div type="image" title="A yard sign for Sen. Kelly Townsend's re-election campaign outside an elementary school in Apache Junction, AZ on July 14, 2022." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93012612" hostid="261"></div><h2>'I truly respect Nick'</h2>It all began in late February of this year, when Rogers, a <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Wendy_Rogers">perennial candidate</a> who finally won a state Senate seat in 2020, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/02/26/wendy-rogers-racist-white-nationalists-patriots-and-called-for-hanging-political-enemies/">delivered a video address before the America First Political Action Conference</a> (AFPAC), a gathering of white nationalists organized by Fuentes. Rogers greeted the audience as "fellow patriots" while arguing for the use of a "newly built set of gallows" to "make an example of these traitors who have betrayed our country.""I truly respect Nick, because he's the most persecuted man in America," she <a href="https://rumble.com/vw10fd-wendy-rogers-full-afpac-speech.html">said of Fuentes during her address</a>. "Nick, and the other patriots in attendance at AFPAC: please keep doing what you're doing. I admire you, and I so appreciate how you never give up. We need more strong Americans like you."Fuentes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.Rogers also <a href="https://twitter.com/nickmartin/status/1498763648080117760?s=20&amp;t=K5D46CBfdTkRXTR3OqDVlQ">posted an image</a> of herself, Fuentes, and Andrew Torba — founder of the right-wing social media site Gab — behind a slain rhinoceros with a Star of David set against the logo of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).Days later, Rogers was <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/03/01/wendy-rogers-republican-censure-arizona-senate/9331363002/">censured by the Arizona Senate</a> for the violent rhetoric, though the motion did not mention anti-Semitism or white nationalism. Townsend, who said she missed the March 1 vote because her daughter had a medical issue, says she called Rogers that day and pleaded with her to denounce Fuentes directly. She says Rogers told her that she "shouldn't have to do that.""I was just begging her, I'm like 'I need you to be strong, Wendy,'" said Townsend. "I mean, don't you believe in the Bible?"But Rogers wouldn't denounce Fuentes, and still hasn't."I was just sick to my stomach. I spent the night in prayer. I cried," said Townsend. At the time, Townsend was just over one month into a campaign for a US House seat currently held by retiring Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. "I had just gotten a Trump endorsement," she says.Townsend <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1499811723125035010?s=20&amp;t=xHj6R10VnIgfarIsbrIQxw">ended her congressional campaign days later</a> and announced that she would instead run for re-election, challenging Rogers in her home senate district, which they now shared as a result of redistricting."I have to make the statement that this is not who we are," she added. "And I'm going to just run off my record and see what happens."She added of Rogers: "I don't care what she does to me."<div type="image" title="A yard sign for Sen. Kelly Townsend's re-election campaign outside an elementary school in Apache Junction, AZ on July 14, 2022." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93012615" hostid="261"></div><h2>'Why wouldn't you speak out against that?'</h2>Townsend <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1499811723125035010?s=20&amp;t=bszT4TcxstqqLdrAj7ashA">released a statement</a> in early March blaming her exit from the congressional primary on the fact that the Trump endorsement had "still not materialized." But she told Insider that a Trump aide told her that the former president would endorse her. "I've got it on my phone," she told Insider.Insider viewed a series of text messages between Townsend and Kurt Olsen, a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-pro-trump-lawyer-was-a-rising-stop-the-steal-star-his-firm-erased-him">lawyer who worked on behalf Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election</a>, in which Olsen seemingly confirmed that a Trump endorsement was coming. "He says, you know, it's done. It should be out soon," said Townsend. "He said to go and fight hard."But before the expected endorsement was published, Townsend announced her primary against Rogers, who was herself endorsed by Trump in November 2021. While Townsend says she didn't want to make Trump have to choose between the two of them, she also said she's "disappointed" in the former president for backing a candidate aligned with white nationalists and no longer wants his support."I don't know that his endorsement is going to help me," said Townsend. "If he's unwilling to speak out against Nick Fuentes, then why would I want an endorsement from somebody who can't do that?""I'm like… don't you have a daughter-in-law, or a son in law or something, who's Jewish? Why wouldn't you speak out against that?," she added, referring to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. "I'm just disappointed that President Trump didn't put a kibosh to that kind of rhetoric."Townsend's odds are not great; according to the most recent campaign finance disclosures, Rogers <a href="https://seethemoney.az.gov/PublicReports/2022/09A5A922-42BF-4FA3-BFB6-06E462A2508F.pdf">has brought in</a> more than $3 million in contributions this year, while <a href="https://seethemoney.az.gov/PublicReports/2022/03F7769D-92C7-48A2-94A5-9A9A942F3015.pdf">Townsend has raised</a> a little more than $65,000. The Apache Junction Republican insists that she has an advantage among GOP voters who are "paying attention," and she indicated that she's received support from people who usually don't agree with her MAGA-aligned views.<div type="image" title="Sen. Kelly Townsend (left) cheers on Trump as he addresses supporters at a Turning Point Action event on July 24, 2021, in Phoenix, AZ." height="1333" width="1778" msid="93012619" hostid="261"></div>"It's uncomfortable, because all these people are coming out of the woodwork saying 'please save us from Wendy Rogers, please, you have to win this race,'" she said with a chuckle. But she also worries that the average Republican voter in her district just doesn't know enough about Rogers' controversies, most of which stem from statements on Twitter and other right-wing spaces online."They see a Trump endorsement, they don't know any different," she said. "Or, they may ascribe to what she believes."<h2>MAGA versus "Groyper"</h2>While Townsend speaks of Nick Fuentes' anti-Jewish rhetoric with a sense of urgency and righteousness, she's ultimately more similar to her primary opponent than not."There's a lot of similarities when it comes to how we vote. But there are some stark differences on our leadership style, on our professionalism, on who we are as a person," said Townsend. "There's a side of Wendy that some people have never seen."But asked whether she believed Rogers' frequent invocations of George Soros are anti-Semitic, Townsend herself invoked a trope broadly understood to be anti-Semitic, saying critiques of the liberal megadonor have "nothing to do with the fact that he's Jewish" but "everything to do with the fact that he's trying to destroy sovereign states.""I'm not criticizing his faith, I'm criticizing his actions of coming against our country and our republic," Townsend said of Soros. "He wants socialism. He wants a one world government, if I'm correct… I'm pretty sure that's what he wants."Townsend has also <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1541073889559601152?s=20&amp;t=2T9-5Nl9nskTdvH3cqi1iw">posted an anti-Semitic caricature of George Soros on Twitter</a> herself, and faced <a href="https://twitter.com/ADLArizona/status/1437517138218999809?s=20&amp;t=0OiqY9elyo57puqwRUvXag">criticism from the Anti-Defamation League</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1437200407353184256?s=20&amp;t=KJvRttx5U6mk0D7Ceo00wA">posting a meme</a> comparing COVID-19 vaccinate mandates to the Holocaust.Townsend reached out after initial publication of this article regarding the Soros meme, indicating that she didn't believe it was anti-Semitic."None of my intentions had anything to do with making a statement about Jewish people in general being puppet masters," she told Insider via text.And Townsend has trafficked in false claims and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/05/31/gop-lawmaker-calls-on-vigilantes-to-film-and-follow-voters-to-combat-unproven-ballot-mules/">calling this spring</a> for "vigilantes" to monitor ballot drop boxes — the locus of many election-related conspiracy theories — across the state.She recently bragged about <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/06/30/the-fbi-subpoenaed-karen-fann-and-kelly-townsend-for-information-on-the-january-6-insurrection/">receiving a subpoena from the FBI</a> in connection with an investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot, <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1546870948229353472?s=20&amp;t=tQ2PxpO8991EcuqWI0QE_A">suggesting on Twitter</a> that Rogers "wasn't subpoenaed" because she "wasn't involved but she claims she was [an] election audit champion."And in an endorsement research packet signed by Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/AZKellyT/status/1501261829049253888?s=20&amp;t=61PGwaQtcZam7YlnmCCCAg">that Townsend shared on Twitter</a>, her support for the "Stop the Steal" movement is listed under "Positives."Meanwhile Rogers, an Air Force veteran with a large online following, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/02/22/the-groyper-army-is-looking-to-make-white-nationalism-mainstream-it-has-key-allies-in-arizona-politics/">associates herself</a> with a group of white nationalist online trolls known as "Groypers." Following a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY, she <a href="https://t.me/wendyrogersaz/4751">said</a> that "Fed boy summer has started in Buffalo," suggesting that shooting was a false flag operation instigated by the federal government. That led to a <a href="https://www.12news.com/article/news/politics/wendy-rogers-investigation-senate-ethics-report-no-conclusions/75-5fb1fe17-cf29-4a31-ac0d-d183cafaf5c2">short-lived ethics investigation</a> by the Arizona Senate. She also <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/03/02/ethics-complaint-against-arizona-sen-wendy-rogers-dismissed/6885096002/">faced an ethics complaint in 2021</a> regarding her treatment of staff that was later dismissed along party lines.Rogers did not respond to Insider's request for either comment or an interview.<div type="image" title="Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers speaks at a Trump rally in Florence, Arizona on January 15, 2022." height="1333" width="1777" msid="93012621" hostid="261"></div><h2>Sparks fly at the Republican club</h2>Fifteen minutes into Rogers' speaking slot at the Superstition Mountain Republican Club, the topic of Fuentes came up. An attendee asked Rogers about a flyer from the Townsend campaign calling attention to Rogers' ties to the 23-year-old, highlighting the fact that he has denied the Holocaust, <a href="https://twitter.com/CalebJHull/status/1189594371030695937?s=20&amp;t=nf0jytrHKo4UUs516E8F5w">compared its victims</a> to cookies in an oven, and <a href="https://twitter.com/achungus1235/status/1377104438607769604?s=20&amp;t=Q-t910bWtfku4FLTCgjzkw">questioned laws regarding the age of consent for sexual relationships </a>."If, by some chance, you did manage to defend him," said the man, an Apache Junction native who works in construction, "how exactly would you justify it?"Rogers evaded the question."I don't have to justify anybody else's speech," she shot back at the attendee. Rogers condemned what she described as "guilt by association," which she said was "not part of the First Amendment.""No matter what Nick Fuentes says, or you say, if you go out and commit a crime tonight, and someone has a video of me talking to you, all of the sudden I'm bad, because you and I talked?" she added. "It's not up to you or me to quell someone's freedom of speech because you find it abhorrent, whether you do or not.""Well I do find it abhorrent, yes," the attendee quipped before asking her once again whether she disavowed Fuentes' statement. "That's not the point," she responded. "It does not matter what someone else says. They have the freedom to say it. That is what I stand on. You have the freedom to say it."<div type="image" title="Rogers addresses attendees of the Superstition Mountain Republican Club at an elementary school in Apache Junction, AZ on July 14, 2022." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93012623" hostid="261"></div>"So much for that," said the man as he sat back down. A woman sitting nearby told the man that Rogers "didn't answer your question," while another man at the event pointed knowingly towards an <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/02/26/wendy-rogers-racist-white-nationalists-patriots-and-called-for-hanging-political-enemies/">AZ Mirror article</a> on his phone about Rogers' speech at AFPAC.Later that evening, Townsend had the opportunity to make her own pitch to voters."How many of you saw 2000 Mules?" she asked the attendees in the midst of her speech, referring to a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/11/2000-mules-offers-least-convincing-election-fraud-theory-yet/">widely-debunked Dinesh D'Souza film that purports to reveal rampant fraud in the 2020 election</a>. "The drop boxes are a disaster."But at the close of her pitch to voters, Townsend sought to clarify the choice between her and Rogers, saying while she "absolutely" supports individuals like Fuentes' right to say objectionable things, she will "never, ever be silent" about the hateful rhetoric."I'm going to say no to hate," she continued. "No, it does not belong in our party, it does not belong in our state, it doesn't belong in our hearts."

How a fight over Trump's endorsement, white nationalist online trolls, and a Holocaust denier has upended an Arizona GOP state Senate primary

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Arizona GOP officials planned to install fake electors to overturn the state's 2020 election result.</li><li>The chair of the Arizona GOP and a state senator both raised concerns about the plan.</li></ul><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/arizona-trump-fake-electors.html?smid=tw-share"></a>Two Arizona GOP officials who helped plan to overturn the 2020 election worried their actions "could appear treasonous," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/arizona-trump-fake-electors.html?smid=tw-share">The New York Times reported</a>. The officials planned to install an alternate set of electors to vote in favor of Donald Trump after a vote count had determined Joe Biden had won the presidential election. A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-fake-electors-realize-theyre-target-of-probe-after-cooperating-2022-7">similar plan</a> was in place in Georgia, where some of the would-be electors <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-supporters-tapped-as-alternate-electors-could-face-criminal-charges-2022-7">could face charges</a> for election interference, conspiracy, and racketeering. Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, and Kelly Townsend, a state senator, both raised concerns about the plan that Trump's legal team circulated, according to emails published by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/arizona-trump-fake-electors.html?smid=tw-share">The New York Times</a>. "Ward and Townsend are concerned it could appear treasonous for the AZ electors to vote on Monday if there is no pending court proceeding that might, eventually, lead to the electors being ratified as the legitimate ones," Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer working for Mr. Trump's campaign, wrote in a 2020 email published by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/arizona-trump-fake-electors.html?smid=tw-share">The New York Times</a>.The word "treasonous" appeared in bold. The email was sent to a group that included Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani.Ward, despite her concerns, ultimately supported the plan and signed a document that falsely claimed to be a "certificate of the votes of the 2020 electors from Arizona" and falsely asserted that Trump won the state's 11 Electoral College votes.Townsend did not sign the document. Representatives for Ward and Townsend did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Arizona officials who planned to help overturn election in Trump's favor worried activating group of fake electors 'could appear treasonous': report

Former television anchor Kari Lake, a Republican, and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, will face off for governor of Arizona in November, a top battleground race. <h3> </h3> <h2>The races &amp; the stakes:</h2>Arizona held competitive Republican and Democratic primaries for an open battleground gubernatorial seat vacated by incumbent GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, who is retiring due to term limits.Former President Donald Trump's influence and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election are major factors influencing primaries in both parties and will take center stage in the general election. The crowded and chaotic Republican gubernatorial primary <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-gop-governor-karrin-taylor-robson-kari-lake-trump-pence-2022-7">became a proxy battle between dueling factions of the GOP,</a> Insider's Bryan Metzger reports. Trump and other far-right figures are backed Kari Lake, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-ducey-kari-lake-arizona-governor-trump-2020-election-2022-7">a former local news anchor </a>who ran a campaign largely rooted in Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pence-endorses-karrin-taylor-robson-over-kari-lake-2022-7">while former Vice President Mike Pence and Ducey</a> endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson, an independently wealthy real estate developer.Arizona <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-judge-rules-against-republican-effort-ban-mail-in-voting-2022-6">Secretary of State Katie Hobbs</a>, the state's chief election official, defeated former Obama administration official Marco Lopez for the Democratic nomination for governor. Hobbs running for governor also opens up the crucial office of the secretary of state. The person elected to this office will be responsible for overseeing the 2024 presidential election in a key battleground state.Adrian Fontes, Maricopa County's former top election official, defeated state Rep. Reginald Bolding for the Democratic nomination. He will face <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-endorses-qanon-supported-for-arizona-secretary-of-state-2022-7">State Rep. Mark Finchem</a>, a key <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/24/2020-election-republican-official-races-490458">ally in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Arizona</a>, won the crowded GOP primary field, defeating state Rep. Shawna Bolick, state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, and Beau Lane. <h2>State legislative primaries: </h2>Trump's influence also loomed large in two high-profile GOP state Senate primaries.In the 7th District, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-mastriano-endorses-wendy-rogers-in-arizona-state-senate-race-2022-7">highly controversial far-right Sen. Wendy Rogers</a> defeated conservative state Sen. Kelly Townsend in a race that became a battle over Rogers' ties to the white-nationalist figure Nick Fuentes, far-right trolls, and the two candidates' fealty to Trumpism, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kelly-townsend-wendy-rogers-nick-fuentes-trump-white-nationalism-arizona-2022-7">Insider reported.</a>And in the 10th District, current Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers lost to a Trump-backed opponent. Bowers, who was term-limited in the state House and ran in the GOP primary for an open state Senate seat, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rusty-bowers-donald-trump-david-farnsworth-arizona-primary-january-6-2022-7">told Insider he's "running against Donald Trump."</a> Bowers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-bowers-arizona-house-speaker-2020-election-rino-gop-2022-7">testified before the January 6 committee</a> about Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

Trump-endorsed Kari Lake wins the GOP nomination for governor in battleground Arizona

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11899427" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pennsylvania" source="Orion">Pennsylvania</keyword> state Sen. <keyword id="11899426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="doug-mastriano" source="Orion">Doug Mastriano</keyword> has endorsed <keyword id="11907754" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="arizona" source="Orion">Arizona</keyword> Republican <keyword id="13268443" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wendy-rogers" source="Orion">Wendy Rogers</keyword> in her reelection bid.</li><li>Rogers is a far-right conspiracy theorist who recently spoke at a white nationalist conference.</li></ul>Doug Mastriano, the Pennsylvania Republican facing criticism for refusing to cut ties with a social media platform popular with Christian nationalists, has endorsed the reelection bid of an Arizona Republican who has welcomed the support of white nationalists and is herself a member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia.In a video <a href="https://t.me/wendyrogersaz/5392?utm_source=pocket_mylist">posted on her Telegram</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kelly-townsend-wendy-rogers-nick-fuentes-trump-white-nationalism-arizona-2022-7">Wendy Rogers</a>, a state senator who was <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/03/01/senate-votes-to-censure-wendy-rogers-for-threatening-her-colleagues/">censured by her party</a> after appearing at a white nationalist conference earlier this year, touted the endorsement from Mastriano, who is himself running for governor."Thank you, Colonel, for your endorsement!" Rogers wrote. "We are rooting for you in Pennsylvania, too!"Mastriano, in the video posted Monday evening, described the state senator as a "good friend.""We need more champions for freedom like her in office," he said. "She's tough and courageous. She's a brave leader."Rogers, who was also endorsed by former President <keyword id="11914386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="donald-trump" source="Orion">Donald Trump</keyword>, is fighting to keep the seat she first won in 2020. On August 2, GOP primary voters will pick between her and state Sen. Kelly Townsend, an ultra-conservative lawmaker who says she launched her primary challenge due to Rogers' open embrace of white nationalists.In February, Rogers spoke at a conference organized by far-right streamer <keyword id="12997627" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nick-fuentes" source="Orion">Nick Fuentes</keyword>, who the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a "<a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/nick-fuentes">white nationalist live streamer</a>" and "outspoken admirer of fascists." The Anti-Defamation League likewise describes him as a "<a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/nicholas-j-fuentes-five-things-know">white supremacist leader</a>." Fuentes, among other things, has claimed the Republican Party "is run by Jews, atheists, and homosexuals."Speaking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kelly-townsend-wendy-rogers-nick-fuentes-trump-white-nationalism-arizona-2022-7">Insider's Bryan Metzger</a>, Townsend said she watched a compilation of Fuentes' views after Rogers' participation in the conference was publicized and was "horrified" by what she saw. Previously, Metzger wrote describing Fuentes as "a 23-year-old far-right political commentator who the FBI has identified as a white supremacist and with an online following known as 'Groypers.'"Rogers, far from distancing herself, has embraced so-called "groypers" — deeming her white nationalist audience "<a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2022/02/26/wendy-rogers-racist-white-nationalists-patriots-and-called-for-hanging-political-enemies/">patriots</a>" while describing Fuentes as "the most persecuted man in America" — and doubled down on controversy.After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, for example, she attacked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, as a "globalist puppet for Soros," along with further antisemitic tropes: "I stand with the Christians worldwide not the global bankers who are shoving godlessness and degeneracy in our face.""I will not apologize for being white," <a href="https://twitter.com/WendyRogersAZ/status/1498470393723641856">she added</a> the next day.Rogers later <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/wendy-rogers-buffalo-shooting-false-flag-investigation-1354429/">suggested that</a> a white man's mass killing of Black shoppers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, was a "false flag" attack staged by the federal government.In <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083817494/arizona-state-senate-censures-lawmaker-who-threatened-rivals-with-violence">its censure</a>, the Arizona state Senate, which is led by Republicans, said Rogers had engaged in conduct "unbecoming of a senator, including publicly issuing and promoting social media and video messages encouraging violence."Rogers' membership in the Oath Keepers has also come under increased scrutiny since the paramilitary group's leadership was charged with a seditious conspiracy over their role in the January 6 insurrection.<h2>Mastriano critic</h2>Mastriano, who won a plurality in the GOP primary to become his party's Trump-backed candidate for governor, has himself been criticized for cozying up to far-right extremists and antisemites. His opponent, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, is Jewish.In a statement, the Shapiro campaign attacked Mastriano for "plunging his campaign deeper into toxic extremism and conspiracy theories.""It's appalling to see Mastriano team up with an out-of-state politician who spends her time with white nationalists and peddles horrific antisemitism, but it's unsurprising – they're two peas in a pod," Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for the Shapiro campaign, told Insider.Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/doug-mastriano-gab-andrew-torba_n_62d08787e4b02d3ecf3184b9">HuffPost reported</a>, Mastriano paid $5,000 in a "consulting" fee to Gab, a social network popular with extremists that was used by the man who murdered 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Mastriano also sat down for an interview with the site's founder, Andrew Torba, a self-described Christian nationalist who has frequently posted antisemitic tirades."Jewish voters expect candidates to condemn antisemitism, whether it comes from the far left or the far right — and to shun those who espouse it," Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said in a statement <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/doug-mastriano-gab-republican-jewish-coalition-andrew-torba-20220721.html">reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer</a>. "We strongly urge Doug Mastriano to end his association with Gab, a social network rightly seen by Jewish Americans as a cesspool of bigotry and antisemitism."Mastriano did not respond to a request for comment.Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com" rel="nofollow sponsored">cdavis@insider.com</a>

Trump-endorsed Doug Mastriano, urged to denounce Gab and extremists, endorses far-right Arizona lawmaker instead

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rusty Bowers testified at a Jan. 6 hearing about enduring pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election.</li><li>Now, he's facing a Trump-backed primary challenger: former state Sen. David Farnsworth.</li></ul>MESA, Arizona — Russell "Rusty" Bowers, the Speaker of the Arizona House, testified before the January 6 committee in June about withstanding a pressure campaign from then-President Donald Trump to reverse the 2020 presidential election results in his state.Now, Bowers is hoping to withstand another Trump-driven campaign: an August 2 state Senate primary against former Sen. David Farnsworth, a fellow Mormon who's known Bowers for years.By the time Bowers testified about being pressured to take action to decertify the state's pro-Biden electors — and the harassment campaign that ensued when he refused — his primary had already been underway for a few months."I've got a former president running against me. I'm not running against David Farnsworth," Bowers told Insider this month. "I'm running against Donald Trump. It's his name that's propping up Dave Farnsworth."Term-limited in the House, Bowers is now running in the newly-drawn 10th legislative district centered on Mesa, a city of roughly half a million people just east of Phoenix. Trump endorsed Farnsworth shortly after Bowers appeared before the committee, calling the state House speaker a "longtime political operative" and someone who "must be defeated."He was also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-donald-trump-presidential-censures-f8892631bd14e1b2266af4c9d00f6af8">just censured by the Arizona GOP</a>, whose chair, Kelli Ward, has <a href="https://twitter.com/kelliwardaz/status/1539318815728599041?s=20&amp;t=jIixD57lfdLhei-NzErtTQ">referred to Bowers</a> as "Rusty Bowels."Farnsworth, for his part, told Insider that he did not seek out Trump's endorsement personally, only saying that there were "at least a half a dozen people in Arizona that told me they were trying to get the Trump endorsement for me."With Bowers <a href="https://seethemoney.az.gov/PublicReports/2022/0323BE34-7915-4471-B99C-9F876591ED4B.pdf">raising more than</a> $320,000 and Farnsworth <a href="https://seethemoney.az.gov/PublicReports/2022/BB2CE009-9C6C-4CB1-8C60-CEDD275DAB5A.pdf">raising just</a> $70,000 — most of which came from a $40,000 personal loan — Farnsworth will largely have to rely on Trump's appeal and antipathy toward Bowers in order to prevail."Instead of David Christian Farnsworth on his signs, now it says 'David Trump Farnsworth,'" Bowers said, referring to the placement of an endorsement message that obscures Farnsworth's middle name. "All of us look at that, and say... yeah, that says something."<div type="image" title="On a yard sign for David Farnsworth, an endorsement message from former President Donald Trump obscures the former state senator's middle name." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93142116" hostid="261" sizebytes="410930"></div>Bowers could certainly win the race. Brad Raffensperger, who testified alongside Bowers, handily beat a Trump-backed opponent in his Republican primary for a second term as Georgia secretary of state a week before he appeared on Capitol Hill. Other Republicans, like Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, have also recently prevailed against Trump-backed challengers.But if he loses, Bowers would become the latest addition to the universe of high-profile Republicans who've been excommunicated from the party after crossing Trump, such as Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who's opted to retire rather than face a primary, or Rep. Tom Rice, who faced down a primary and lost."I would be, in one way, okay. I've lost before," said Bowers of a potential loss. "And in another way, I'm thinking 'oh my gosh, right when we need adults the most, the thugs take over.'"<h2>'They're all uniformly thankful'</h2>In June, Bowers <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1539317947608576000?s=20&amp;t=oNWyEzOXRTl8_4YlyIFTWA">testified before the January 6 committee about the months of harassment</a> outside his home that he'd endured from supporters of the former president. He also described the deluge of phone and email messages registering disapproval at his refusal to bend to Trump's will.Now, in the throes of another political campaign, Bowers seems to be used to confrontation.Bowers now says that "nobody's come by the house of late," though he said some friends had suggested he prepare for the possibility for further demonstrations in light of Trump's recent visit to the state.And he told Insider that he's continuing to get "basically the same type of harassment online that I've gotten for the last two years," but pays it little mind."I don't Twitter," he said. "I told the President that — I don't tweet."Bowers told Insider that he's received mostly positive responses from people who've approached him about his committee testimony, particularly among fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in his neighborhood on the northern edge of Mesa."Especially in my neighborhood. Ds, Rs, Is, people from space," he said. "They're all uniformly thankful."Bowers concedes, however, that the most committed party activists in his district are incensed with him."The fix is with the district leadership and in the Republican women," said Bowers. "The fix is all in for Trump and Dave, they've been working at it for months."Bowers has increasingly irked the more right-wing members of his party. Earlier this year, he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-house-speaker-bowers-quashes-bill-legislature-overturn-election-results-2022-2">killed a so-called "election integrity" bill</a> — which would have allowed Arizona's state legislature to overturn the will of the state's voters — by assigning it to all 12 of the chamber's committees, <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremyduda/status/1488661595513262080?s=20&amp;t=yXMw5fixV339JRK8rdD0vw">ensuring it wouldn't ever make it to the floor</a>."That's why they're so angry at Rusty, because he slapped us in the face by saying, 'I'm not even gonna look at it,'" said Farnsworth."We passed 38 bills on election integrity stuff," said Bowers, seeking to defend his record on an issue of increasing importance to the Republican base. "No, we didn't take away people's fundamental right to choose the electors."Bowers' foes also accuse him of being vindictive and petty. Sen. Kelly Townsend, a Republican from Apache Junction, told Insider that she encouraged Farnsworth to run against Bowers because of long-standing difficulties in working with the speaker, particularly when the two served together in the state's lower chamber. "I have had trouble with Rusty for four years," said Townsend, a Trump-aligned figure who promotes the idea that the 2020 election was stolen <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kelly-townsend-wendy-rogers-nick-fuentes-trump-white-nationalism-arizona-2022-7">who's now caught in her own contentious primary</a>."He killed all my stuff, I had to do a lot of maneuvers just to get my bills across the board," said Townsend. "I just don't want to have to serve with him again."At a rally in Prescott Valley on Friday night, Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-bowers-arizona-house-speaker-2020-election-rino-gop-2022-7">slammed Bowers</a> for his January 6 committee testimony while touting Farnsworth,"Rusty Bowers is a RINO coward who participated against the Republican Party in the totally partisan, unselect committee of political thugs and hacks," said Trump. "He disgraced the state of Arizona."<h2>'No animosity, except that he called me a swamp rat'</h2>In an interview at his home in Mesa, Farnsworth, a former state senator, spoke in religious terms as he told Insider about how his own Mormon faith had driven him to come out of retirement to challenge Bowers."The whole issue of this race, from my perspective, is that… our freedom is being destroyed," said Farnsworth as he sat with the Book of Mormon open in front of him. "And it's the people that are prophesied in this book who orchestrated the theft of the election." In Farnsworth's telling, Townsend told him that he was the "only one that can beat Rusty" because of their shared Mormon faith, and he said he was running against his one-time acquaintance largely over dissatisfaction with how he handled the 2020 election."I have no doubt in my mind that the election was stolen," said Farnsworth. "I can't show you the proof, but I grew up in Arizona, I've seen all the evidence, I've talked to all these people, and in my heart, I know the election was stolen."Farnsworth said that while he agrees that trying to appoint pro-Trump electors might have been a step too far, he thinks the former president genuinely believes he'd won the 2020 election and that it was Bowers' job to address the widespread lack of faith in the vote, suggesting that he could've held hearings to uncover evidence of fraud."Rusty, as Speaker of the House, had the responsibility as a leader in the Arizona legislature, to do whatever it took to restore that trust," says Farnsworth. "That is what this election is all about. He failed in his duty to do what he needed to do."Farnsworth said that if elected, he wants to hold hearings on the issue himself, though he made clear that he doesn't believe the election itself can be reversed."At this point, if you try to put Trump in instead of Biden, you'd probably create a civil war," he said. "It's been too long."<div type="image" title="Former Sen. David Farnsworth at his home in Mesa, Arizona on July 13, 2022." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93142120" hostid="261" sizebytes="321946"></div>Farnsworth, notably, has <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2020/09/22/arizona-has-deep-qanon-ties-including-its-politicians/">said that the QAnon conspiracy theory</a> seems "credible" and said <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CaaM1Zwbpw">during a recent debate</a> that "some of the things they've said made sense to me." However, he told Insider that he "definitely [does] not follow them" and has never "even googled the name to find out about them."Bowers contrasts himself from Farnsworth primarily by talking about his ability to work constructively with others."Everybody is scared to death of Dave Farnsworth, because he doesn't listen well," says Bowers. "I have no animosity, except that he called me a swamp rat."Bowers recalled an anecdote from when the two men served together in the Arizona House in the 1990s when Farnsworth voted no on a bill simply because he wasn't sure what was in it."He doesn't invest intellectual capital," says Bowers. "You have to be willing to really think things through on a lot of issues, and listen to a lot of voices, and synthesize a course of action from many different interests." <h2>The 'growing fragility of civilization' </h2>Bowers, a sculptor and painter who's now nearing age 70, has gone through a great deal of stress in recent years. His daughter, Kacey, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100000246798523/posts/4191162324235286/?d=n">died of a terminal illness</a> at the end of January 2021 as Bowers dealt with protestors accusing him of being a "pedophile" outside his home.Asked why he's opted to run for another political office — given both his age and the anger he's faced from members of his own party — Bowers spoke of his "love" for Arizona."There isn't anybody in the legislature that knows more about this state than me," he said.But Bowers also warned of what he calls the "growing fragility of civilization.""The use of emotional violence as a political tool — the biggest tool in the toolbox — is now kind of common," said Bowers. "Just bully them until they can't take it anymore."He bemoaned the rise of this style of politics at a time when big challenges, including water scarcity driven by climate change, are impacting Arizona hard; when Bowers spoke with Insider, the average temperature in Maricopa County was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit."The policies, the practical governance of a society suffers," he said. "And I'm afraid.""We are going to need to wisely move quickly to use the resources we've set aside," he continued. "And I think — I want my opponent taking those decisions?"In his testimony before the January 6 committee in June, Bowers spoke of his admiration for President Ronald Reagan.<div type="image" title="A yard sign for Rusty Bowers' state senate campaign with a &quot;Republican in Name Only&quot; sign placed next to it in Mesa, Arizona." height="1500" width="2000" msid="93142123" hostid="261" sizebytes="547120"></div>Bowers <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/54LEG/2R/201204STATEMENT.pdf">even cited Reagan in a December 2020 statement</a> declaring that he would not seek to replace the state's pro-Biden electors at Rudy Giuliani's request, quoting the 40th president in calling the peaceful transfer of power "nothing less than a miracle."But asked whether he thought Reagan still held sway with his party, Bowers demurred. "That's a good question for a sit around, fireside chat type of thing," he said.He then recounted a trip he once made to Reagan's ranch in California, remarking that he was struck to see that he had read many of the same books as the former president, and that Reagan had used "Head and Shoulders" shampoo in a plywood shower on the property."He was a very common man," said Bowers of Reagan. "Whereas now, it's like, we have a — I don't want to use the word cultic, but maybe that would be appropriate — view of these leaders."

After resisting a post-2020 election pressure campaign, Arizona GOP House Speaker Rusty Bowers says he's 'running against Donald Trump' in his upcoming primary

I spent two and a half hours with David Farnsworth, the Trump-backed candidate who defeated January 6 committee witness Rusty Bowers. Here's what I learned about religion, 'conspiracy facts,' and the modern Republican party.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesKelly Catlin at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the Netherlands on March 3, 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A startling new report from the American Psychological Association suggests that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depression rates</a> have spiked more than 50% since 2007 in teens and young adults.</li><li>Young people from 12-25 are also reporting more suicidal thoughts, plans, and suicide attempts.</li><li>Last week, 23 year-old Olympic bicyclist and Stanford graduate student Kelly Catlin died by suicide, after sustaining a concussion during winter training. This wasn't the first death by suicide at that school in 2019.</li><li>Psychologists are worried that kids are getting less sleep and spending more time on their phones.</li></ul>Last week, 23-year-old Olympic bicyclist Kelly Catlin died by <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2019/03/08/vice-provosts-letter-stanford-community-death-student/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suicide Friday at Stanford</a> University. She is <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2019/02/11/deans-letter-stanford-engineering-community-death-student/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not the first student</a> the university has lost that way this year, but doctors, psychologists, and coaches across the US are worried about the mental health of the nation's young people far beyond the halls of Stanford.There's a quiet, deadly, and troubling trend on the rise: more young people of all ages are thinking about suicide, attempting suicide, and dying by suicide. Even though <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-suicide-rate-up-cdc-troubling-trend-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suicide rates are going up</a> in nearly all age groups across the US, the trends that are happening in people under 26 are unique, according to a new <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/abn-abn0000410.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. When researchers looked at questionnaire responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from over 600,000 teens and adults across the US, they found that rates of major depressive episodes have more than doubled since the mid-2000s, in kids as young as 12 and young adults up to 25. Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are also going up markedly in young people. "These trends are weak or non-existent among adults 26 years and over, suggesting a generational shift in mood disorders," lead study author and psychologist Jean Twenge said <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2019-03/apa-mhi030819.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a press release</a>. "More U.S. adolescents and young adults ... experienced serious psychological distress, major depression or suicidal thoughts, and more attempted suicide."The trends are not specific to any social group, economic class, sex, or race, but the researchers did see some of the biggest upticks in young women, and people in their young 20s were especially vulnerable. Suicide is now the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/suicide-rates-climbing-higher-in-the-us-especially-in-middle-age-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second leading cause of death</a> for all US teens and young adults from ages 10 to 35, after accidents. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersKelly Catlin with her silver medal women's pursuit cycling teammates at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Left to right: Jennifer Valente, Chloe Dygert, Kelly Catlin, Sarah Hammer.</div></div></div>Kelly Catlin was a first year master's student studying computational and mathematical engineering, and an accomplished cyclist who won silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was also a fraternal triplet, and is now mourned by her brother Colin and sister Christine. Her first bicycling coach, Charlie Townsend of NorthStar Development Cycling in Minnesota, remembers Catlin as a jaw-dropping star cyclist who rose quickly into national and international competitions in less than two years on the team. Last winter, Catlin sustained a concussion during training. Her sister Christine told the <a href="http://www.startribune.com/us-olympic-cyclist-catlin-found-dead-in-her-home-at-age-23/506953352/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a> Catlin was having "really bad headaches" and was more sensitive to light after the accident. She attempted suicide once in January, but seemed to be doing better recently.Studies show experiencing a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2712851" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concussion can increase a person's risk of suicide</a> 2-fold, and while <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30601399" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evidence is still scant</a>, there are also indications that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4996886/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elite athletes are at higher risk for anxiety and depression</a>, which are both <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4771521/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">risk factors</a> for suicide. High-profile <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-phelps-advice-on-mental-health-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">athletes like Michael Phelps</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2018/03/26/missy-franklin-depression-mental-health-olympics-swimming-laureus-intv-spt.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missy Franklin</a> have become increasingly open about their own mental health and depression issues."I think she put very, very high expectations on herself," Townsend said of Catlin. "For the most part, she met those expectations."He wishes coaches were better at helping young athletes not only achieve success, but also deal with setbacks and defeats: "The suicide really has caused me to do a lot of thinking about what the right way to develop kids is, and what they really need to go forward - not just in cycling - but in the rest of their life."<h2>ER doctors are seeing more young kids who've attempted suicide </h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-phelps-advice-on-mental-health-2018-9">Athletes </a>are not the only young people at risk. Researchers recently took a look at three different urban emergency rooms across the US, and found that a third of kids from ages 10 to 12 screened positive for suicide risk. "Typically, suicidal thoughts and behaviors are seen in older teens," study author Lisa Horowitz, a clinical scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, said <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-shows-many-preteens-screen-positive-suicide-risk-during-er-visits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a release on that study</a>. "This study shows that children as young as 10 who show up in the emergency department may be thinking about suicide, and that screening all preteens - regardless of their presenting symptoms - may save lives." Researchers aren't sure why this is happening, but they think that both more screen time and less sleep may play a role. The two often go hand in hand: studies show that the glowing lights of a phone or TV affect our sleep quality, and there's also plenty of data suggesting people are getting up more often in the middle of the night to check on their buzzing phones. "Overall, make sure digital media use doesn't interfere with activities more beneficial to mental health such as face-to-face social interaction, exercise and sleep," Twenge said.<h2>What to do if you're worried someone might be suicidal</h2>Depression and mental illness can't be willed away, and it's not a character flaw. Remember that traumatic events that lead to depression can happen to anyone, and more than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-know-if-you-are-depressed-4-short-l-words-2018-3">1 in 20 Americans suffer from depression</a> on any given day.There are several warning signs to keep an eye out for if you're worried that someone close to you may be suicidal. These include:<ul><li>Threatening to hurt or kill him/herself</li><li>Looking for ways to complete suicide, like getting access to pills or a gun</li><li>Talking about death, dying, or suicide out loud or on social media</li><li>Rage and revenge-seeking</li><li>Being reckless or doing uncharacteristically risky things</li><li>Feeling trapped and withdrawing from social activities</li><li>Anxiety or trouble sleeping</li><li>Dramatic shifts in mood</li></ul>Only a medical professional can diagnose someone as suicidal, but asking the question, "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" and providing a safe space for someone to talk about their feelings without judgment or shame can be extremely helpful.<div data-bi-ad="" id="gpt-post-science-desktop_in_post_ad-desktop-5c8a44a382ab57.58563949" data-force="" data-type="ad" data-adunit="business-insider/desktop/tech/science/post" data-secvert="news" data-pagetype="post" data-tag="crime" data-authors="hilary-brueck" data-views="" data-region="Desktop In Post Ad" data-responsive="[{" browserLimit:00slotSize:300250fluidbrowserLimit:6000slotSize:300250fluidbrowserLimit:12600slotSize:72890300250fluidlocation:inline="" data-tile-order="tile-6" data-url="us-suicide-rate-increased-since-2000-2018-6" data-amazontamsizes="[[300,250],[728,90]]" data-google-query-id="CL_itvDNgeECFQpODAod_ToDzA"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/4442842/business-insider/desktop/tech/science/post_10__container__">Tell the person that you care, and let them do most of the talking about how they're feeling. Remember that thoughts of suicide are common and often associated with a treatable mental disorder.</div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesKelly Catlin took bronze during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the Netherlands on March 3, 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-suicide-rate-increased-since-2000-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">The US suicide rate has increased 30% since 2000, and tripled for young girls. Here's what we can do about it.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-know-if-you-are-depressed-4-short-l-words-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">These 4 short L-words can help reveal if you might be depressed</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sad-seasonal-affective-disorder-depression-winter-what-to-do-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Science-backed ways to fight the winter blues</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-suicide-rate-up-cdc-troubling-trend-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men working in construction, stay-at-home moms, and students are committing suicide in alarmingly high numbers, and it's part of a disturbing trend</a></li></ul>If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. <a href="https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/">The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline</a> (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dan-harris-explains-how-meditation-helps-depression-2015-12">Doing this for 5 minutes every day can help people who suffer from depression</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

The suicide death of a 23-year-old Olympic cyclist highlights a disturbing trend. Her former coach says we could be doing more.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-donald-trump-bio-age-family-key-positions-2019-4">President Donald Trump</a> loves military parades and quoting from the film "Patton," but when it comes to actually treating military personnel and their families with respect, he's got a mixed record.</li><li>He's insulted war heroes and their parents, lambasted generals as "dopes and babies," and blithely dismissed the symptoms of soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.</li><li>Trump also pardoned a convicted war criminal against the objections of the men and women he served with, who described him as "freaking evil."</li><li>Throughout his decades in public life, Trump has epitomized the idea of hollow, performative patriotism.</li><li>This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-donald-trump-bio-age-family-key-positions-2019-4">President Donald Trump</a> isn't the first president to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1142055388965212161">use the military as a prop</a>, but it's become clear that he's the most brazenly cynical in doing so.Ther latest examples of Trump's exploiting the military for his political benefit came at the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/us/politics/state-of-union-transcript.html">State of the Union</a> address this week.Trump addressed Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake's widow, Kelli, relaying heartbreaking words from a letter Hake wrote to his then 1-year-old son, Gage, while on deployment to Iraq in 2008.Hake never made it home. He was killed by a roadside bomb.Trump told Kelli and Gage: "Chris will live in our hearts forever. He is looking down on you now. Thank you." That received thunderous applause from the chamber of a joint session of Congress.The president then described giving the order to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who Trump said was responsible for the bomb that took Hake's life.Minutes later, Trump used another military family as a prop, this time pulling an Oprah-style stunt where he surprised Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams' wife and children with the news that he was not only back from a deployment to Afghanistan - he was in the building and ready for an on-camera reunion.Williams was one of the 14,000 US troops deployed to Afghanistan on Trump's orders as the administration has struggled to find a negotiated exit amid an upsurge of violence.To recap: Trump used a Gold Star family as a prop to boast about an assassination that he ordered, then followed it up by using another family in a made-for-TV stunt to extol the sacrifices made by "extraordinary military families."Nationally televised tributes to military families are lovely gestures, but by using what should have been a humble show of respect to a widow and her child to justify a military action he ordered, Trump explicitly politicized a soldier's death.<h2>Trump's love for the military is fickle</h2>Trump loves to bask in the reflected glory of veterans, but his tune changes as soon as military personnel don't conveniently fit with his narrative.Throughout his decades in public life, Trump has epitomized the idea of hollow, performative patriotism.He's had a lifelong love affair with military pageantry. Despite receiving five deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, Trump said <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/donald-trump-military-service-213392">he felt as if he truly was in the military</a> because he attended an upstate New York military prep school. He's repeatedly touted the idea of military <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/06/20/president-trump-finally-get-his-military-parade-july-4.html">parades</a>. As an adult, he was <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:HHGstgVqAtEJ:https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-generals-cabinet-232396+&amp;cd=3&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us">known to swoon</a> in the presence of high-ranking generals. He's fond of <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/377889432327561216">quoting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/377889432327561216">lines</a> from the film "Patton."But then Trump ran for president and his view of the institution changed, especially when it clashed with his ideas.On the campaign trail, then candidate Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wefb0ESoVDo">infamously refuted</a> pollster Frank Luntz in 2015 for calling Sen. John McCain a "war hero.""He's not a war hero," Trump said. "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."This was just the first time it became clear that Trump likes war heroes, unless they disagree with him.In 2016 Trump <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-father-fallen-soldier-ive-made-lot/story?id=41015051">lashed out</a> at the parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan - a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan who was killed in Iraq in 2004 - after Khan's father, speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, gave a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/us/elections/khizr-humayun-khan-speech.html">stirring denunciation</a> of Trump's call to bar immigrants from majority-Muslim countries.Khan's mother, who did not speak while standing onstage at the DNC, was "devoid of feeling the pain of a mother who has sacrificed her son," Trump said.And as reported in Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig's new book, "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/youre-a-bunch-of-dopes-and-babies-inside-trumps-stunning-tirade-against-generals/2020/01/16/d6dbb8a6-387e-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html">A Very Stable Genius</a>," Trump in 2017 threw a fit at a meeting of the Joint Chiefs and other senior advisers, including then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis (a retired four-star Marine general), calling them "a bunch of dopes and babies" and declaring he "wouldn't go to war with you people."What had they done to so offend Trump, who would normally fawn over such decorated veterans?They were explaining things like the importance of the post-World War II international order as a security benefit for the US, and that it wasn't the military's job to act as the president's collection agent to shake down NATO allies who the real-estate mogul Trump believed weren't paying their "rent."<h2>Trump's disrespect of the military is more than just words</h2>As commander-in-chief, Trump sent as many as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-18/trump-sending-2-100-more-troops-to-the-u-s-border-with-mexico">6,000 troops</a> to the US-Mexico border, where he hoped he could use the military to detain illegal immigration. (It can't: That's forbidden by the <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42659.pdf">Posse Comitatus Act of 1878</a>, which prohibits the military from enforcing the law unless authorized by Congress or the Constitution.) But some of the troops who were <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/06/some-troops-to-spend-the-next-month-painting-border-fence-with-mexico/">deployed domestically</a> were ordered to serve their country by painting portions of Trump's border wall.More recently, he restored the rank of Eddie Gallagher, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/us/navy-seals-edward-gallagher-trump.html">a convicted war criminal</a> whose fellow Navy SEALs described as "freaking evil," "toxic," and "perfectly OK with killing anybody that was moving." <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/22/navy-seal-eddie-gallagher-meets-with-trump-at-mar-a-lago/">Trump invited him</a> to his Mar-a-Lago resort for a personal meeting, which Gallagher has used as a springboard for TV appearances and apparel sales.Against the objections of top Pentagon officials, Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/11/15/trump-issues-pardons-war-crimes-cases-despite-pentagon-opposition-move/">issued full pardons</a> to two Army officers convicted of murder.After the killing of Soleimani last month and Iran's retaliatory strike on an Iraqi base housing US military personnel, Trump said there were no US casualties. Two weeks later, the Defense Department said 34 troops had been diagnosed with concussions or brain trauma. Trump, normally one to luxuriate in the gory details of battle, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/24/troops-brain-injuries-iran-trump-103625">downplayed their symptoms</a> as "headaches" and "not very serious."So while Trump attempts to use the military to polish his political credentials, he does so only when it suits him. When it doesn't, the president insults the dead, brushes off the wounded, uses the living as political pawns, and venerates the war criminal. It's a perverse way of showing respect for the military.This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).

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