Democrats, Pundits Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Assassination Attempts

Democrats and media commentators have accused former President Donald Trump of inciting political violence following a second assassination attempt against him, arguing his inflammatory language has contributed to the heightened tensions in American politics.

In the wake of a second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, Democrats and media pundits have launched a barrage of criticism at his rhetoric, accusing him of fueling the political violence that has become increasingly prevalent in modern American politics.

Representative Mickie Sherrill (D-N.J.) denounced the Republican Party for attempting to "divide" and "enrage the population" through "false rumors and misinformation." While Trump has blamed the assassination attempts on rhetoric from Democrats, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, critics have pointed to his own history of inflammatory statements and actions.

Democrats, Pundits Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Assassination Attempts

CNN commentator Ana Navarro asserted that Trump cannot "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." She argued that Trump's rhetoric has contributed to the atmosphere of violence, while "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg accused Republicans of solely contributing to the problem.

MSNBC host Alex Witt questioned whether Trump's campaign would call for lowering the temperature following the attempt, while The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs labeled Trump an "instigator of political violence." NBC News' Lester Holt noted the assassination attempt came amidst "fierce rhetoric" from Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, who have made baseless claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.

Democrats, Pundits Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Assassination Attempts

Republican presidential nominee Trump and Vance have repeatedly made inflammatory statements about Haitian migrants, which officials in Springfield have deemed not credible. Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reported hoax bomb threats coming from overseas inundating the town.

The New York Times' Peter Baker linked Trump and Vance's claims to the assassination attempt, highlighting Trump's past encouragement of violence in his political discourse, including threats and mocking a near-fatal attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of the Democratic House speaker. Baker also noted that Trump has long favored "the language of violence," fueling the political violence that characterizes contemporary American politics.

Democrats, Pundits Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Assassination Attempts

Don Lemon, a former CNN host, stated that Trump should cease threatening democracy if he wishes for others to refrain from criticizing him. CNN's David Chalian argued that Trump's complaints about Democratic rhetoric following the attempt undermine his credibility on the issue of political violence.

Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark declared that Trump "created this specter of political violence that we all now live under," attributing the current environment to his "rhetoric that has been creating this environment for the last eight years." Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Democrats, Pundits Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Assassination Attempts