Donald Trump appeals to the paranoid fantasies of the ‘FEMA camps’ crowd
"Obama’s election in 2008 led to an explosion in hate groups spouting such ideas, and as their numbers have swelled some of their beliefs have gone mainstream, stoked by broadcasters like Michael Savage, Alex Jones and Glenn Beck; right-wing filmmakers; and a host of websites featuring screaming headlines such as: “UPDATE: All Armed Americans to Be Detained in FEMA Camps Starting In 2017!??!” Taking their cue from the popularity of such thinkers and theorists, some American politicians can’t resist adding their official encouragement to the discussion. Among those joining Trump is Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who last year gave credence to the rumor that the Department of Defense was preparing to invade his state during a training exercise called Jade Helm. It is now possible to meet Americans who have made major life decisions—such as leaving homes and jobs and yanking children out of school—based on the belief that it is only a matter of time before their own government comes to get them. A Florida radio host has been exhorting people to join colonies of conservatives in Central America before the U.S. government rounds them up. At the Republican Convention in Cleveland, I met martial law conspiracy theory believers who were convinced that only Trump stands between them and one of the secret FEMA camps, those with the electronically operated turnstiles that rotate in, not out."
