Tennessee Democrat Calling for ‘Secession’ in Memphis Previously Questioned Whether Assassination Attempt on Trump Was ‘Staged Act’
The Democratic state lawmaker calling for Memphis to secede from the State of Tennessee over the new congressional districts signed into law by Governor Bill Lee previously drew controversy in 2024, when he questioned whether the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump was “staged.”
The call by State Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) for the city to secede was first highlighted by a reporter for The Tennessean, and the Democrat later wrote in a post to X, “SECESSION NOW! Enough is enough!”
In his post, Parkinson specifically called for the portion of Tennessee, x, “From the eastern border of Nashville – Davidson County to Memphis – Shelby County and the Mississippi River,” to establish itself as “West Tennessee.”
Now generating headlines over the redistricting effort, Parkinson (pictured above) was among Tennessee Democrats who drew controversy over their response to the attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in his ear being grazed and a member of the audience being fatally shot.
“I certainly hope this is not a staged act,” wrote Parkinson. Alongside an eye-rolling emoji, he added, “But…”
The post prompted immediate condemnations and calls for an apology, and the Memphis Democrat ultimately issued another statement, declaring he was “glad the former president is doing ok” and declaring that his “heart goes out to the families of the victims of today’s violence.”
Amid his remarks about secession in West Tennessee, Parkinson live-streamed his participation in the protest that erupted at the Tennessee State Capitol as the General Assembly passed its redistricting legislation on Thursday, revealing he joined the crowd as it screamed and blew whistles at a television showing lawmakers cast their votes.
“Here we go,” Parkinson appeared to say at the beginning of his live-stream, before later joining the crowd in a chorus of boos.
While Parkinson floats secession, lawsuits have been filed by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), the Democrats competing for their party’s nomination to represent Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), aiming to reverse the new map.
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