--- title: Donald Trump Slams Maxine Waters After She Comments on Death Threats description: The president called the California Democrat "crazy" and referenced her comments about deaths threats made against her canonical: https://time.com/5329118/president-trump-maxine-waters-death-threat/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-03T12:38:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:33:05.222Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Continues Attacking Maxine Waters After She Cancels Events Over Death Threats og:description: The California Democrat encouraged people to protest Trump staffers og:url: https://time.com/5329118/president-trump-maxine-waters-death-threat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc159939bd33be922/6989347786f68e3a196e98f4/gettyimages-990437144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5389 og:image:height: 3031 og:image:alt: President Donald J. Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Continues Attacking Maxine Waters After She Cancels Events Over Death Threats twitter:description: The California Democrat encouraged people to protest Trump staffers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc159939bd33be922/6989347786f68e3a196e98f4/gettyimages-990437144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Continues Attacking Maxine Waters After She Cancels Events Over Death Threats > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=aaed06d7-2ab2-4c9b-9ab5-f4675fe6599a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The President Lied Again.' Maxine Waters Says She Did Not Call for Harm of Trump Officials [Watch (HLS stream): The President Lied Again.' Maxine Waters Says She Did Not Call for Harm of Trump Officials](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J2kUif3h.m3u8) (1:20)  _Published 2018-06-26. Under fire for comments interpreted as encouraging violence, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) appeared on MSNBC Monday night to clarify that she did not call for physical harm or attacks on Trump officials_ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 3, 2018 12:38 PM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 3, 2018 12:38 PM UTC President Donald Trump is continuing his attacks against Maxine Waters, calling the California Democratic representative “crazy” and saying her behavior will “make people flee the Democrats.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1014090584963866624) Trump and Waters have been sparring since Waters encouraged people at a Los Angeles event last month to make Trump administration officials uncomfortable if they spot them in public. “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd,” Waters [said.](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/25/politics/maxine-waters-trump-officials/index.html) She later said on MSNBC that people are “going to protest, they are going to absolutely harass” Trump staffers. Waters made the comments amid heightened political tensions over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies. They also came after a number of Trump officials, including Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, were accosted or denied service at restaurants. Waters said that she had received several death threats in the days following her first comments. Addressing a rally in Los Angeles on Saturday, she addressed those threats, saying “all I have to say is this, if you shoot me you better shoot straight, there’s nothing like a wounded animal,” [_The Hill_ reported](http://thehill.com/homenews/house/395016-maxine-waters-responds-to-serious-death-threats-you-better-shoot-straight). Waters appearance at the rally came after she had had to cancel two other events planned for the weekend in Texas and Alabama after receiving what she described as “one very serious death threat.” Waters has said that she has received more threats than before since the President claimed on June 25 that she “called for harm” to his supporters, concluding “be careful what you wish for Max!” The pair’s exchange has prompted further discussion about civility in political discourse. Some top Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, have criticized Waters for her comments. That has not stopped Waters, however, who has continued to criticize the President. ## Transcript I believe in peaceful, very peaceful protes. t I have not called for the harm of anybody. This president has lied again, when he's saying that I called for harm to anyone. I am having sleepless nights about the children and really I don't want to engage. Constantly with this lying President. This Don con man will say anything. He is the one that is responsible for promoting violence if you take a look at some of the comments that he has made over a period of time. Remember what he said What he said to someone I would like to punch him in the face. Remember when he said to the crowd, knock the crap out of them. Remember what the president said when he said maybe he should've been roughed up. And remember what he said when he said try not to hurt them, if you do I'll defend you in court don't worry about this. This is the President of the United States Who promotes violence, who support those who are practicing violence. And when he talks about any comment that I have made relative to these children, he's lying once again. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5329118/president-trump-maxine-waters-death-threat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5329118/president-trump-maxine-waters-death-threat/"},"headline":"President Trump Continues Attacking Maxine Waters After She Cancels Events Over Death Threats","datePublished":"2018-07-03T12:38:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:33:05.222Z","description":"The California Democrat encouraged people to protest Trump staffers","url":"https://time.com/5329118/president-trump-maxine-waters-death-threat/","keywords":["White House","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc159939bd33be922/6989347786f68e3a196e98f4/gettyimages-990437144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc159939bd33be922/6989347786f68e3a196e98f4/gettyimages-990437144.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Donald J. 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