Maxine Waters Warns of Civil Unrest Amid Rising Political Tensions, Raising Specter of Incitement

Washington, D.C. – March 13, 2025 – Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has once again ignited a firestorm of controversy with her latest remarks, warning that former President Donald Trump is poised to incite violence and potentially spark a civil war should he face defeat in the 2024 presidential election. In a recent statement, Waters asserted, “What does Trump expect? I believe he expects violence, confrontation, Civil War,” a comment that has drawn sharp criticism and fueled debates over the escalating rhetoric in an already polarized political landscape.

Waters’ remarks, delivered with her characteristic fervor, come at a time of heightened tension in the United States, where political divisions have deepened and incidents of targeted harassment, such as swatting, have plagued elected officials across party lines. Critics argue that her words are more than just a cautionary tale—they’re a thinly veiled dog whistle to her most ardent supporters, signaling a call to arms under the guise of sounding the alarm. Posts circulating on X have accused the congresswoman of stoking unrest, with one user labeling her rhetoric “a calculated smear from a desperate left-wing relic,” pointing to her history of urging confrontation against political adversaries.

The backdrop to Waters’ comments is a troubling wave of swatting incidents—false emergency calls designed to provoke armed police responses—that have targeted political figures in recent years. From late 2023 into 2024, high-profile individuals such as Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, federal judge Tanya Chutkan, and even Senator Rick Scott have fallen victim to these dangerous hoaxes, often linked to their stances on contentious issues like Trump’s ballot eligibility or legal challenges. These acts of intimidation underscore a broader climate of volatility, one that Waters’ critics say she is exploiting to rally her ground troops rather than de-escalate.

Waters, a longtime vocal critic of Trump, has a track record of provocative statements. In 2018, she famously encouraged supporters to publicly confront Trump administration officials over immigration policies, urging them to “create a crowd” and “push back” wherever they were encountered. More recently, in 2024, she claimed Trump supporters were “training up in the hills somewhere” to attack communities if he lost the election—a charge that drew both ridicule and alarm. Her latest warning about a potential civil war has reignited accusations that she is deliberately fanning the flames, with some suggesting she’s priming her base for chaos should the political tides turn against her party.

Social media platforms, particularly X, have erupted in response. Supporters of Waters argue she’s merely highlighting a real threat posed by Trump’s incendiary language, such as his allusions to a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win in 2024. Detractors, however, see a darker intent. “Maxine Waters just dropped a bombshell of lunacy,” one X post declared, accusing her of projecting her own playbook onto Trump. Another user referenced her past calls to harass Trump officials, writing, “This is the same woman who told mobs to get in their faces—now she’s prepping them for worse.”

The timing of Waters’ rhetoric is particularly striking, coming just months after the 2024 election cycle concluded and as the nation braces for Donald Trump’s anticipated return to the political stage. Political violence experts have warned of a “highly volatile situation” surrounding the election’s aftermath, citing the unprecedented spike in threats against public officials—more than 300 cases since January 6, 2021, according to Reuters. Yet, Waters’ decision to frame Trump as the sole instigator, while casting his supporters as a monolithic threat, has led some to question whether she’s less interested in prevention and more focused on provocation.

As swatting incidents and other acts of political intimidation continue to rise, the congresswoman’s words risk amplifying an already combustible atmosphere. While she has called for the Justice Department and President Biden to “protect this country against violence,” her critics argue that her rhetoric does the opposite—serving as a rallying cry to her loyalists to prepare for confrontation. With the nation on edge, Waters’ latest salvo may prove to be less a warning and more a spark, threatening to light the fuse of the very unrest she claims to fear. 17GEN4.com