BUTLER, Pennsylvania – One day after the shocking assassination attempt about former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the nation is left questioning whether the political polarization that has gripped the country has become too severe.
Condolences and calls to tone down the rhetorical heat pouring in from across the country and the world, as leaders of all political stripes expressed shock and horror at the first shooting of a U.S. president since Ronald Reagan was nearly killed, more than 40 years old, while leaving a hotel in Washington.
“We are all Americans and we have to treat each other with dignity and respect,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Sunday on NBC News’ “Weekend Today.” He continued to repeat the blame that Trump’s allies are placing on President Joe Biden, who used the word “target” on a campaign call with donors last week.
“I mean, I know he didn’t mean what was implied there,” Johnson said Sunday of Biden’s comments, but added, “That kind of language from both sides should be denounced.”
Violence tends to breed more violence and experts fear the shooting will inflame, rather than calm, tensions ahead of a presidential campaign whose risks are seen as existential by both sides.
“This is a very dark moment in our history and, unfortunately, it is very unlikely that this will be the end of political violence this election season,” said Jacob Ware, a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations who studies domestic and international terrorism. “A wide range of scenarios, from low-level vigilante violence to high-profile assassination attempts, are likely to characterize the coming months.”
When violence becomes seen as a legitimate way to resolve political issues, “it’s hard to know how to reverse that development,” Ware added.
Violent rhetoric has become a more familiar part of political campaigns in recent years, as have sometimes violent clashes between protesters, counter-protesters and police. But assassinations have not been seen in American politics for decades.
Trump, who was hit by a bullet in the ear, was released from the hospital on Saturday night, while two seriously injured spectators remain hospitalized. Another bystander was killed.
The two injured rally attendees are in stable condition, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
“At this time, it is more important than ever that we stand together and show our true character as Americans by remaining strong and determined and not allowing evil to win,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social website on Sunday morning.
Biden delivered remarks at the White House on Sunday, again condemning the violence. He will give a speech from the Oval Office on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
“As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation, everything. .This is not America and we cannot allow that to happen,” Biden said. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important beyond that right now – unity. We will debate and we will disagree. That won’t change, but…let’s not lose sight of the fact of who we are as Americans.”
How the shooting unfolded
Witnesses at the rally described a chaotic scene moments after the shooting.
In the front row of the rally, attendees heard a series of pops and saw Secret Service agents take the stage. One of them, who identified herself as Erin, told NBC News that she saw blood on Trump’s ear. She did not fear for her own safety, she said. “We were just worried about him,” she said, referring to Trump.
Investigators have not yet said how the shooter, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, managed to get close enough to shoot Trump.
Police also have not suggested a motive for Crooks, who was killed by police moments after opening fire. Voter records show that Crooks was a registered Republican, but authorities have so far offered no political motivation for the shooting.
The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of domestic terrorism, according to FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek, who also said Crooks acted alone.
Rojek said there are currently no indications that the suspect had mental health issues or previous run-ins with authorities.
The gun allegedly used by Crooks was found at the crime scene and a “suspicious device” was found in the suspect’s car, according to Rojek. The device was inspected by bomb technicians and is now being analyzed further, he said.
Some prominent Republicans have pointed to Biden’s rhetoric about motivation even before the shooter was identified. Biden’s allies pushed back, pointing to the number of times the sitting president has condemned political violence.
Experts warned Don’t jump to conclusions about Crooks’ motives, noting that shooters often struggle with mental illness, which makes their motives unintelligible to the rest of the world. Reagan’s alleged assassin, John Hinckley, said he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster after falling in love with her performance in the film Taxi Driver. The man who shot former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Jared Loughner, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and his writings advocated what one scholar called “toxic confusion of conspiracy theories from the left and right, whose sources range from Marx to Hitler and heavy metal.”
Anthony Guglielmi, head of communications for the U.S. Secret Service, rejected claims that the Trump campaign had requested but been denied additional resources.
“There is a false claim that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources and that they were rejected,” he posted on X.
“This is absolutely false. In fact, we’ve added resources, technology and protection capabilities as part of the campaign’s increased travel pace.”
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee demanded answers from the Secret Service and his bosses at the Department of Homeland Security in a letter Sunday.
“The seriousness of this security breach and frightening moment in our nation’s history cannot be underestimated,” Rep. Mark E. Green, R-Tennessee, wrote in the letter. “If the trajectory of the bullet had been a little different, the assassination attempt on President Trump might have succeeded.”
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers quickly introduced a measure to increase Secret Service protection for Trump and Biden, as well as grant it to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who accused Biden of denying him official protection for political reasons . (The White House has denied this, noting that the Department of Homeland Security, along with congressional leaders, are responsible for such decisions.)
“Last night’s attempted assassination of former President Trump was a dark moment in our nation’s history. As reports continue to emerge, it is clear that more protections are needed for all of the major presidential candidates,” New York Reps. Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, said in a joint statement.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., held a call Sunday with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, according to a committee spokesperson.
Busy campaign season
The assassination attempt rocked an already tumultuous presidential campaign, as other Democrats called on Biden to step aside after a debate last month left many wondering about the 81-year-old’s physical and mental fitness.
The Republican National Convention is set to begin on Monday to formally nominate Trump.
Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, RNC Secret Service coordinator for 2024, said during a press conference Sunday that there are no changes to operational security plans for the convention.
Officials expressed confidence during the briefing that they are prepared for the convention, reiterating that it has already been designated a National Security Special Event, the highest federal security designation.
Still, Trump campaign officials have advised staff to avoid campaign offices in Florida and Washington, D.C., until their security can be assessed.
“It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” Biden said in remarks Saturday night, before he was allowed to speak to Trump. “We cannot tolerate this.”
Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton released similar statements condemning the attack and calling for unity, while foreign allies such as the United Kingdom’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, said: “Political violence, under any form, has no place in our societies.”
David Brown, a Trump supporter from Pittsburgh, told NBC News on Sunday that, like many Americans, he feels political animosity has gotten out of hand.
“We really need to take a deep breath,” Brown said. “I’m friends with a lot of Democrats and they’re great people, but I think we need to realize that we’re demonizing each other too much… We need to look beyond this white noise, so to speak. “
Across the aisle, Panfilo DiCenzo, a reluctant 40-year-old Democratic voter, saw the shooting as “a symptom of our current state, politically and socially.”
He pointed to political division and cultural and economic upheaval, saying it had created “a lot of frustrated individuals.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
