After the first assassination attempt that left Trump with a wounded ear and a rally attendee dead, I felt some sympathy for Trump, along with most Americans. It helped that at first Trump spoke about being a changed man after his brush with death, vowing to unify the country.
That didn't last long. Soon Trump was back to blaming Democrats for the assassination attempt, ignoring the inconvenient truth that the shooter was a registered Republican and hadn't expressed any particular political leanings.
Yesterday there was another attempted assassination according to the Secret Service, though the person in custody, Ryan W. Routh, never shot his rifle from a spot just outside of the fence surrounding the Florida golf course where Trump was playing and didn't have a line of sight on Trump.
Currently Routh only has been charged as a felon in possession of a firearm and for possessing an assault rifle with the ID number scratched off. He may face other charges once authorities have interviewed him. Attempted murder probably won't be one of them, given the circumstances. Menacing an ex-president seems justified.
This time I don't have any inclination to look upon Trump sympathetically, because he's acting like the asshole that he is right off the bat. Astoundingly, even though Trump is a master at encouraging violence and hatred, today he claimed that Kamala Harris and other Democrats need to tone down their talk about Trump being a threat to democracy.
Well, as a Democrat, here's my three word response to the ex-president who hopefully will never again be president: Fuck you, asshole! You were a huge threat to democracy before Routh was apprehended, and nothing has changed: you're still a huge threat to democracy, and nothing will stop Democrats from speaking that truth.
Trump's hypocrisy was in full display today, as made clear in a New York Times story.
Mr. Trump on Monday morning claimed that “inflammatory language” from Democrats had provoked what the authorities are investigating as an assassination attempt against him, urging his rivals to tone down their speech even as he called them the “enemy from within” and “the real threat.”
Per usual, Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, accused others of doing what they're guilty of -- inciting violence. Trump and Vance keep on spreading the lie that migrants from Haiti living in Springfield, Ohio are eating pet cats and dogs, along with geese in city parks.
A CNBC story today makes these key points:
- State police in Ohio will conduct daily sweeps of schools in Springfield after authorities have been forced to investigate “at least 33” bomb threats, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.
- Springfield has become the face of the national immigration debate after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, repeatedly spread baseless claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating city residents’ pets.
- Springfield officials, including its Mayor Rob Rue and local police, have all disputed the claims, saying there are no credible reports that Haitian immigrants in the city are stealing or eating pets.
So Trump and Vance incite violence in Springfield through their flat-out lies, yet claim that it is Democrats who need to stop using inflammatory language. Trump and Vance need to look in a mirror to find the people most responsible for coarsening our political discourse.
Regarding Routh, he voted for Trump in 2016 but said on social media that he supported Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, both Republicans, in the 2024 race for the presidency. A New York Times story says:
An eight-page federal complaint against Routh says nothing about his potential motive. Routh seems to have spoken positively about candidates in both political parties and described himself online as a disaffected former Trump supporter. In a rambling, 291-page book Routh self-published last year, he accused Trump of threatening American democracy and wrote “you are free to assassinate Trump.” Routh told The Times last year that he was willing to fight and die in Ukraine despite appearing in over his head. The Justice Department could also bring additional charges against Routh as it investigates.
So the wisest thing to do -- which naturally Trump isn't doing -- is to wait for the Justice Department to complete its investigation into Routh before drawing any conclusions regarding his motive for doing what he did on Sunday.
But regardless of his motive, those of us who vehemently oppose Trump's bid to occupy the White House again have no reason to stop speaking the truth about the danger Trump poses to the United States and the world.
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