Don’t Expect The Attempted Assassination Of Donald Trump To Unify The Nation
In days that seem to be a distant memory, the attempted, or successful, assassination of a United States president would trigger outrage and grief among Americans of all political stripes.
There would be expressions of support and solidarity coming from prominent leaders in the government and other important institutions as there was when Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy Jr. were hit by an assassin’s bullet.
Unfortunately, we no longer live in those times. Despite calls for unity after the shooting of former President Donald Trump, there are still far too many who are deeply invested in fomenting division and animosity between Americans.
Republicans and Democrats have reportedly expressed skepticism about whether the incident in Pennsylvania might prompt America to unify despite calling for such an outcome publicly.
“Democrats have long sounded the alarm about Trump’s threat to democracy, a central pillar of President Biden’s campaign. Even on Friday — a day before the attempted assassination — Biden called Trump a ‘business fraud’ who was facing charges in multiple criminal cases, including election interference. ‘Most importantly, Trump is a threat to this nation,’ Biden said.
And on the Republican side, Trump himself has been a driver of political polarization, reshaping the Republican Party to embrace name-calling and aggressive stances, as well as personally entertaining conspiracy theories.
Over the weekend, Trump emphasized unity in interviews and social media posts.”
The Hill’s report also highlighted the former president’s post on Truth Social after the classified documents case was dismissed as a supposed example of how he is pushing division.
“As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts – The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met…and the Georgia ‘Perfect’ Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of the Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. “
“Well unity lasted a day,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill in response to the post.
Former Rep. Joe Crowley argued that Trump and Republicans must moderate their rhetoric, saying there must “be a realization on all sides here that truth matters.”
The article also slams Republicans for blaming Democrats for the attack. The report was quite one-sided, only highlighting rhetoric coming from the right. However, there is an abundance of foul comments on the assassination attempt coming from the left.
At least one of these folks faced consequences for her comments about the attempted assassination. We the Female founder Kerry Slone posted about it on X.
Republican activist Scott Presler also highlighted comments coming from the left.
The advent of digital media seems to have made this issue even worse with more people able to share their horrific opinions on the shooting without fear of repercussions. Further worsening the situation are media figures, politicians, and online influencers who want more division and are willing to do so if they can profit from it.
In a media environment in which outrage and hatred reap dividends in the form of clout, clicks, and cash, people are incentivized to use their platforms to demonize those who have differing political beliefs or are part of certain demographics.
In light of this, it is not hard to understand why America is so divided even if real life does not yet reflect what is on social media. This is why the reaction to the shooting of Trump is not the same as it was for folks like Reagan and Kennedy.
This is not the first time the nation has experienced this level of division – or worse. But there does not seem to be an end in sight. When there are prominent organizations and individuals who benefit from keeping us at each other’s throats, it is difficult to see a light at the end of this tunnel.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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I think it's great that republicans are finally making the democrats live up to the words of their messiah Saul Alinsky. I just wish that they would of started decades ago. Now they have to start dismantling the Cloward and Piven strategy to overwhelm the systems through illegal immigration.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Jeff.
In everyone's fawning rush to fit in with "their side", they've voluntarily relinquished the privilege of thinking for themselves.
ZL