Donald Trump warns of violence if Republicans lose midterm elections

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Donald Trump has warned there will be "violence" if his Republican Party lose November's midterm elections.

Speaking to evangelical leaders in a private meeting, the US president called the vote, a “referendum” on free speech and religious freedoms, warning the rights of Americans were under threat from “violent people”.

Mid-term elections are seen as a key test of a president’s popularity. All 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the 100-member Senate are up for election, along with 36 out of 50 state governors and numerous state and local government offices.

The result of this year's vote are keenly anticipated after Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s former lawyer, and Paul Manafort, his ex-campaign chairman, were convicted of financial crimes earlier this month.

“This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the first amendment. It’s a referendum on so much,” Mr Trump said in a speech leaked to US media.

“It’s not a question of like or dislike, it’s a question that they will overturn everything that we’ve done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa, these are violent people.”

Antifa, or anti-fascists, regularly stage counter protests against white supremacists and neo-nazis when they march through American towns and cities.

Mr Trump has come under fire for blaming last year's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia on “both sides”. The rally attracted national attention after 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a car ploughed through a crowd of counter-protesters. James Alex Fields has been charged in connection with her death.

The president continued by urging the religious leaders: “You have tremendous power. You were saying, in this room, you have people who preach to almost 200 million people.”

Some of those who were present at the meeting downplayed the remarks.

Jerry Falwell Jr told National Public Radio journalist Sarah McCammon: “Nobody walked out of there thinking that the Democrats were going to shoot us all.”

Activist Ralph Reed added that Mr Trump said "if the Democrats take the House there will be virulent opposition to his agenda. He said some of those groups on the left incite and advocate violence and mentioned Antifa.”