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| - In June 2016, at least two memes were circulated featuring a quote purportedly from Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren saying, "If the Republicans disarm, all is well and good. If they refuse to disarm, we shall disarm them ourselves":
The quote also circulated in early 2015:
The meme's June 2016 recirculation was likely due to Warren's new visibility as a vocal adversary to Donald Trump and his candidacy. As Warren debated the GOP frontrunner on Twitter, folks resurrected the old purported quote as a general argument against Warren's character and likability:
A marriage between @realDonaldTrump’s toxic racism & @RepHensarling’s Wall Street giveaways is a path to ruin for our country.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 7, 2016
Before 2015, a nearly identical version of the quote existed, but that version was widely and consistently attributed to former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, not Elizabeth Warren:
We were unable to locate any interviews, footage, clips, tweets, or other instances in which Elizabeth Warren said anything remotely resembling the phrase quoted above.
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