In an editorial on Thursday, the paper suggested the location was not so much a dog-whistle to extremists, but a “blaring air horn of a Mack 18-wheeler.” Waco is inextricably linked to the 1993 Branch Davidian siege, which has sparked yearslong anti-government conspiracy theories.
Waco has become a symbol, “an Alamo of sorts, a shrine for the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, the Oath Keepers and other anti-government extremists and conspiracists,” the editorial said.
“Militia members and conspiracists know exactly what Trump’s Waco visit symbolizes,” the paper continued, noting that Trump’s campaign insists his visit during the 30th anniversary of the siege is “purely coincidental.”
The editorial listed multiple reasons why people should visit Waco, but not because of Trump.
“Don’t bother with a bombastic, bullying candidate inclined to incitement and bent on ‘retribution,’” it said. “His appearance is ample reason to stay home.”
