Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell condemned former President Donald Trump last week as a “threat to democracy,” then humorously asserted the Bitcoin 2024 conference, where the former president spoke, was “secured” and the “threat” gone.
O’Connell made the remarks at the annual Three Star Fundraiser held by the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP), which the party titled “For Our Democracy, For Our Freedom.”
The TNDP fundraiser was held at the Omni Hotel in Nashville, a brief walk from Bitcoin 2024 at Music City Center.
Referring to Trump’s conviction in a New York court, The Nashville Scene reported O’Connell stated, “I don’t want to alarm everyone, but we did get credible reports of a multiply convicted felon loose across the street just a few hours ago.”
The mayor continued, “Fortunately, we’ve secured the area, and the threat to democracy has ended for tonight.”
O’Connell’s remarks came just weeks after the assassination attempt on the former president, where Trump was shot in the ear, former fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed, and two more were injured.
After the attempted assassination, former President Joe Biden urged Americans to “cool it down,” and Trump confirmed he completely rewrote the speech he planned for the Republican National Convention.
Other speakers at the TNDP fundraiser included Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Vanderbilt University professor and preacher Michael Eric Dyson, Tennessee State Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), and TNDP Chair Hendrell Remus.
In the remarks reported by The Scene, Remus seemed to acknowledge a lack of enthusiasm among Democrats in Tennessee.
“The power of our party is not in one person, it’s not the chair, it’s not the candidate running for office, it’s not the folks who are knocking on doors or donating money to the campaign,” Remus argued. He explained that political power stems from “the folks who are willing to stand up and say, ‘I know politics is draining, but I’m going out to vote, and I’m taking something with me.’”
The TNDP previously confirmed its delegates to the Democratic National Convention voted to support Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after Biden dropped his bid for a second term in the White House.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
