WASHINGTON: Who lit the fire that is engulfing American politics -- and according to Donald Trump, is triggering assassination attempts on him? Trump and his MAGA followers are accusing Democrats of incendiary rhetoric they say is causing it. Democrats are alleging that it is Trump and his supporters who have been using inflammatory language and stoking violence. Both sides are selectively dredging up clips of statements, without providing context, to allege the other party is responsible for what everyone agrees is a dangerous moment in America.
Trump himself on Monday accused President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris of providing the rhetoric that he believes triggered a second assassination attempt on him. The would-be shooter "believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," he told Fox News Digital, without offering any proof, insisting, "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at."
The Trump campaign followed up by blasting out a statement that compiled the numerous times Democrats, including Biden and Harris, said Trump is a "threat" to the country and to democracy. It included a comment from Biden that "it's time to put Trump in a bullseye," which the President later said was mistakenly phrased and explained he meant the focus should be on what he's doing.
The White House meanwhile condemned X/Twitter honcho and Trump surrogate Elon Musk for tweeting “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala” in response to an X user asking “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?” Amid calls from Democrat supports for stripping Musk of his citizenship and deporting him to his home country South Africa, the White House said “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.” Musk had deleted the tweet saying it was made in a lighthearted spirit.
Democrats also wheeled out all the times Trump had encouraged violence, including at his MAGA rallies, while citing his constant denigration of political rivals, immigrants, and foreign nations. Among other provocations, Trump himself had tweeted an image of Joe Biden tied up in the back of a pickup truck and suggested rough treatment for hecklers at his rallies, once saying (or perhaps joking) that he would pick up the legal tab.
Amid such verbal skirmishes, Trump is returning to the campaign trail on Tuesday with a townhall in Flint, Michigan, despite growing concerns that he is not being adequately protected. The MAGA supremo already speaks from behind bullet proof glass screen following the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two months ago, and security is expected to be even tighter from here on after outbursts from the MAGA community that he is being targeted by the left.
Even President Biden on Monday called for more resources to be given to the Secret Service after it emerged that the potential assassin hid near the Florida golf course where Trump was playing for nearly 12 hours before being arrested. There are also questions raging about why the Secret Service had not secured the perimeter of the golf course and how the potential assassin learned of Trump's schedule and obtained the rifle despite having a criminal record.
Such is lack of institutional trust in the country that Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis, a one-time Trump rival turned surrogate, announced on Tuesday that Florida would be conducting its own investigation into the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. "It is not in the best interests of our state and nation to have the same federal agencies seeking to prosecute Trump leading this investigation," DeSantis said on X.
In an ironic twist, Markenzy Lapointe, the federal prosecutor in charge of investigating the potential assassination attempt, is a Haitian-American. Trump and his extremist MAGA flock have accused Haitian refugees and asylum seekers of eating pet dogs, cats, and geese in public parks in Springfield, Ohio, an allegation the state's Republican governor and city officials have debunked. Florida has a large Haitian-American population, estimated at around 300,000.
Trump himself on Monday accused President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris of providing the rhetoric that he believes triggered a second assassination attempt on him. The would-be shooter "believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it," he told Fox News Digital, without offering any proof, insisting, "Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at."
The Trump campaign followed up by blasting out a statement that compiled the numerous times Democrats, including Biden and Harris, said Trump is a "threat" to the country and to democracy. It included a comment from Biden that "it's time to put Trump in a bullseye," which the President later said was mistakenly phrased and explained he meant the focus should be on what he's doing.
The White House meanwhile condemned X/Twitter honcho and Trump surrogate Elon Musk for tweeting “no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala” in response to an X user asking “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?” Amid calls from Democrat supports for stripping Musk of his citizenship and deporting him to his home country South Africa, the White House said “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.” Musk had deleted the tweet saying it was made in a lighthearted spirit.
Democrats also wheeled out all the times Trump had encouraged violence, including at his MAGA rallies, while citing his constant denigration of political rivals, immigrants, and foreign nations. Among other provocations, Trump himself had tweeted an image of Joe Biden tied up in the back of a pickup truck and suggested rough treatment for hecklers at his rallies, once saying (or perhaps joking) that he would pick up the legal tab.
Amid such verbal skirmishes, Trump is returning to the campaign trail on Tuesday with a townhall in Flint, Michigan, despite growing concerns that he is not being adequately protected. The MAGA supremo already speaks from behind bullet proof glass screen following the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two months ago, and security is expected to be even tighter from here on after outbursts from the MAGA community that he is being targeted by the left.
Even President Biden on Monday called for more resources to be given to the Secret Service after it emerged that the potential assassin hid near the Florida golf course where Trump was playing for nearly 12 hours before being arrested. There are also questions raging about why the Secret Service had not secured the perimeter of the golf course and how the potential assassin learned of Trump's schedule and obtained the rifle despite having a criminal record.
Such is lack of institutional trust in the country that Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis, a one-time Trump rival turned surrogate, announced on Tuesday that Florida would be conducting its own investigation into the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. "It is not in the best interests of our state and nation to have the same federal agencies seeking to prosecute Trump leading this investigation," DeSantis said on X.
In an ironic twist, Markenzy Lapointe, the federal prosecutor in charge of investigating the potential assassination attempt, is a Haitian-American. Trump and his extremist MAGA flock have accused Haitian refugees and asylum seekers of eating pet dogs, cats, and geese in public parks in Springfield, Ohio, an allegation the state's Republican governor and city officials have debunked. Florida has a large Haitian-American population, estimated at around 300,000.
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