Trump tweets about 'coup' as followers target Democrats with ads

US President Donald Trump described a formal impeachment inquiry by Democratic members of the House of Representatives as a “coup”.

“I am coming to the conclusion that what is taking place is not an impeachment, it is a COUP,” Trump said on Twitter.

He said the attempt is intended “to take away the Power of the People, their Vote, their Freedoms, their Second Amendment, Religion, Military, Border Wall and their God-given rights as a Citizen of the United States of America!”

The House began its impeachment investigation into Trump last week. At issue is a July 25 phone conversation the president had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump repeatedly pressed Zelensky to investigate former vice-president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, over unsubstantiated claims of corruption.

The elder Biden (photo, below) is the leading Democratic candidate heading into next year's presidential elections, making him a clear political rival to Trump.

Meanwhile, America First Policies, a political action group backing Trump, will launch an advertising campaign aimed at vulnerable House Democrats who support the impeachment inquiry against him, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters.

The television and digital advertisements buy, which the source said would cost more than US$1 million (RM4.19 million), will encourage voters to tell their Democratic representatives in Congress to oppose the impeachment probe.

The advertisements are designed to echo a US$2 million (RM8.38 million) campaign the Republican National Committee launched over the weekend and will be set to run when those advertisements are completed, likely at the end of this week or the beginning of next week, the source said yesterday.

America First Policies is a super PAC permitted to raise and spend unlimited sums of money but must disclose both fundraising and expenses. As a super PAC, the group is prohibited from directly coordinating with either the Republican National Committee or Trump’s campaign.

The advertisements are being run by the America First non-profit arm, which is not required to disclose how much money it raises or spends, but is prohibited from funding advertisements that directly advocate voting for or against a candidate.

The advertisements will point to the “kitchen-table” issues that Democrats campaigned on during the 2018 congressional elections, like healthcare and the border.

“Now you’re doing nothing, all you do is investigate, investigate, investigate,” the source said, summarising the intended message. “It’s a call to action.”

The advertisements will target districts that elected Democrats in 2018 after going for Trump in the 2016 election.

“We’re going to be putting pressure on moderate Democrats,” the source said.

- Reuters/Bernama