Abolaji Omitogun
Saturday, July 13, 2024, will forever be remembered as one of the darkest and scariest days in modern American history, marked by a shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania that left at least two people dead. Former President Donald Trump was injured Saturday evening during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what the FBI says was an assassination attempt. A gunman and at least one audience member are dead, according to the Secret Service, and two other attendees are critically injured. The assailant was a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.
Before delving into this piece, I must condemn in the strongest terms this assassination attempt on the former president’s life. I do not support any form of violence against anyone; it is unconscionable, and there is no place for that kind of violence in America. But who is to blame for all of this? President Trump himself.
Political extremism has been on the rise in the last few decades. While we must all be quick to condemn this assassination attempt, we must also be quick to call out the recklessness of the Republican Party and the hateful, gaslighting rhetoric of former President Trump.
For many years, the country has been teetering on the edge of a full-blown political war along party lines. The “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11-12, 2017, was a significant event marked by violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The rally, ostensibly to protect a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, revealed deeper motives of promoting white supremacy and anti-Semitism, with participants chanting slogans like “Jews will not replace us” and displaying Nazi symbols. In a press conference following the violence, President Donald Trump stated, “There are fine people on both sides,” refusing to condemn the group, which drew widespread criticism for not explicitly condemning the white supremacists and their actions. This response reignited debates about the administration’s stance on bigotry and anti-Semitism.
The January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was another Donald Trump-inspired act of violence, an unprecedented event in American history where five deaths were reported, including one Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, one woman shot by police, and three from medical emergencies. To this day, Trump continues to claim, without evidence, that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him, continuously stoking the anger and actions of his supporters. Republicans are quick to forget the horror unleashed by Donald Trump on the U.S. Capitol. In his speech just before the riot, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.” The rioters constructed a makeshift gallows outside the Capitol and chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” after Trump criticized his vice president for refusing to overturn the election results.
The president brought this on himself. Trump is only inheriting an America he created—the MAGA, pro-Trump, and anti-Trump movement. An extremely polarized America, one where violence is praised, celebrated, and rewarded.
The former president is known for using violent hyperbolic language and inflammatory rhetoric. In one of his rallies, while discussing his trade policies, particularly regarding the automotive industry and potential tariffs on foreign-made cars, he said, “If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole country… It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”
While we can blame both sides for the polarized state of the nation, we must not make the mistake of blaming both parties equally. In fact, the Republican Party is to be blamed, especially for the rhetoric coming from Republicans themselves, including Donald Trump, Don Junior, and others. Donald Trump created the monster and fueled hate in America against Muslims, immigrants, etc. When former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer to the head, Donald Trump Jr. mocked the attack shortly after it happened in October 2022. He posted several photos and comments on social media making light of the violent home invasion, including retweeting a picture of underwear and a hammer as a Halloween costume idea. Former President Donald Trump himself mocked the attack during a speech at the California Republican Party Convention in September 2023.
Therefore, Donald Trump nor the Republicans should not expect to be held to a Democratic standard. But what exactly is the Democratic standard? You see, there isn’t any Democratic standard, especially when it comes to violence. Similarly, there isn’t any agreed standard for violence in the Republican Party, what then is the Democratic standard that I speak of? These are deductions made from the everyday interpretation of everyday people like you and me. To a large extent, they are deductions made from etched Democratic and Republican principles.
In today’s world, the Democratic Party is known for a variety of things. They push for empathy and social justice, standing up for equality and fairness. They’re big on progressive values, often called ‘wokeness,’ and they focus on liberal policies. They also emphasize diversity and inclusion, aiming to make sure everyone feels represented. Sometimes, they get labeled as overly politically correct or even a bit panicky, but at their core, they’re about advocating for the rights and freedoms of all people. The Democrats are quick to empathize, denounce, and condemn acts of violence, but the same, especially in recent times, cannot be said of their counterparts.
Republicans and Donald Trump stoke and fan the flames of violence, and when things go wrong, they act as if they were unaware, caught off guard, or confused about the consequences of their actions. They have continued flame-fanning of violence and dereliction of their oaths to the Constitution, choosing party over the Constitution. Former House Speaker Pelosi issued a statement expressing her condemnation of the attack and offering prayers for Trump’s safety. She stated, “As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.”
In the case of the Republican Party, the party is known for its extreme conservative values. It’s also seen some controversy with a vocal fringe and narrow views on Christianity, the Second Amendment, and violent rhetoric. The party is navigating its identity in a changing political landscape. In recent years, there have been several instances of Republican politicians or candidates using rhetoric that has been criticized as violent or inflammatory compared to almost zero accounts of the Democratic Party or their candidates.
For instance, at a conservative gathering in Idaho in October 2021, a young attendee’s question about using guns against political opponents was described as “valid” by a local state representative. Marjorie Taylor Greene, before her election in 2020, liked social media posts calling for violence against Democrats, including one suggesting a “bullet to the head” for Nancy Pelosi. In November 2021, Paul Gosar posted an animated video depicting himself killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden. Lastly, in June 2022, Eric Greitens released a campaign ad showing himself storming a house with a gun, hunting “RINOs” (Republicans In Name Only). These are just a few examples that highlight a concerning trend of violent rhetoric within the Republican Party
The assassination attempt on the president’s life is a red line, and all must condemn it in the strongest possible terms. But, let’s face it, ‘not’ the Republicans looking to the Democrats to empathize with Donald Trump and to condemn the assassination attempt on the former president’s life. If the opposite were the case—an assassination attempt on President Biden’s life—I doubt if Republicans would condemn such an act. They would cry foul, call it staged, and blame Democrats for the hate. What you probably would hear from Republicans and Donald Trump himself are incoherent ramblings devoid of strong words and clarity to condemn such an act.
Donald Trump and the Republican Party should be held to their own standard—the standard of their inflammatory violence rhetoric they have stoked and helped create—one that House Speaker Mike Johnson recognizes his party is fond of doing; as he called for reducing inflammatory rhetoric and revealed he had spoken with the Homeland Security Secretary. Not a standard where Democrats are expected to be empathetic and apologetic for the carelessness of a party that has continuously refused to learn from its past mistakes. After all, there are fine people on both sides.
President Biden condemned the attack and called on Americans “to lower the temperature” of political discourse. In a televised statement, Biden described the assassination attempt as “sick” and pleaded for calm. The White House reported that Biden had spoken to Trump by phone following the incident.
