President Donald Trump insists that his planned visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday is essential, despite warnings that his presence can only help increase the potential for violence and death. Trump's entire campaign strategy, thinly disguised as official White House business, is focused on stirring trouble, then tweeting, speaking or taking actions designed to escalate tensions to the breaking point. He then points to the result as a warning of what would happen if Democratic challenger Joe Biden is elected president.

Biden isn't the one who has encouraged armed vigilantes and right-wing provocateurs. The Trump flags and signs they wave make clear whose interests they're serving. The chaotic scenes on urban American streets today offer exactly a vision where Trump will lead America if he gets another four years in office.

Even if moderate Republicans are not entirely sold on Biden, they should ask themselves why any incumbent president, regardless of party, would deliberately destabilize his own country just to gain a political edge. Trump doesn't care about America, he only cares about Trump.

The two major flashpoints in the country are Kenosha and Portland, Oregon. Occasionally violent protests have erupted in Portland since the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Over the weekend, one person was killed after a large caravan of Trump provocateurs confronted protesters.

Kenosha is in upheaval because of the point-blank police shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 as he was walking away from two officers. Last week, pro-Trump vigilantes took to the streets, brandishing long guns. One vigilante was outspoken Trump supporter Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who declared to the Daily Caller his intention to run "into harm's way" and did exactly that, killing two protesters in the process.

Rather than emphasize the need for calm and for protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully, Trump continues to blast out tweets calling for "LAW & ORDER!!!," tantamount to a dog whistle for vigilantes to come out in force.

His tactics resemble what happened in 2017 when he announced a border crackdown to address what he termed an immigration crisis. Central Americans, concerned about a threatened immigration shutdown, swarmed to the border. Trump's words escalated the crisis, which then allowed him to point to migrants swarming to the border as justification for his crackdown — a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Now he plans to visit Kenosha against the requests of the mayor and Wisconsin's governor, only to fan the flames in hopes of producing fodder for his campaign. What kind of president does something like that?

Moderate Republicans should never mistake the actions of Trump and his vigilante loyalists as patriotism. Trump has already demonstrated his willingness to betray his country for self-advancement, which is why GOP moderates must deny him another four years to further destroy the country they love.

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