Democrats and media pundits have linked former President Trump's rhetoric to the second assassination attempt against him on Sunday, calling on Trump to lower the temperature.
Democrats and media pundits have linked former President Trump's rhetoric to the second assassination attempt against him on Sunday, calling on Trump to lower the temperature.
"This really seems to be the confluence of two very bad things going on in the Republican Party," Rep. Mickie Sherrill, D-N.J., told CNN's Jim Acosta on Monday, accusing the GOP of attempting to "divide" and "enrage the population" through "false rumors and misinformation."
Trump's Rhetoric Blamed for Second Assassination Attempt
The former president has blamed the assassination attempt on rhetoric coming from Democrats, specifically President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. However, CNN commentator Ana Navarro argued that Trump did not "get to be a very big part of the problem and then pretend that it’s just the other people on the other side who caused this."
"The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg also criticized Trump's rhetoric, saying, "Quit blaming folks until you decide to take a look at what’s coming out of your mouth." She argued that only Republicans were contributing to violent rhetoric.
Trump's Rhetoric Blamed for Second Assassination Attempt
"Let’s stop this both sides stuff because it’s not correct," Goldberg added. "It is not both sides. It is one clear side, and you can point to many, many reports, you can point to all kinds of stuff that’s been reported, you guys have to, you have to pull it back. This is not us or them. This is you got to stop doing what you’re doing, JD, and what you’re doing Mr. T [Trump], because you are not helping the situation."
The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs said on CNN that "you have a former president who, yes, has been the target of apparent assassinations twice, but is also an instigator of political violence."
Trump's Rhetoric Blamed for Second Assassination Attempt
NBC News' Lester Holt said that the attempt on Trump's life followed "fierce rhetoric" from the former president and his running mate, JD Vance.
Trump and Vance have repeatedly pushed inflammatory claims about Haitian migrants deemed not credible by officials in Springfield, Ohio. Hoax bomb threats coming from overseas inundated Springfield as well, according to Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Trump's Rhetoric Blamed for Second Assassination Attempt
MSNBC's Alex Witt wondered if the Trump campaign might issue a call to lower the temperature following the attempt.
The New York Times' Peter Baker also appeared to link Trump and Vance's claims about Springfield to the assassination attempt.
Trump's Rhetoric Blamed for Second Assassination Attempt
Baker added that Trump "has long favored the language of violence in his political discourse, encouraging supporters to beat up hecklers, threatening to shoot looters and undocumented migrants, mocking a near-fatal attack on the husband of the Democratic House speaker and suggesting that a general he deemed disloyal be executed."
