Donald Trump’s circle of violence
Political violence is always wrong, full stop. There are no exceptions. There are no caveats. It’s deeply disturbing that a presumptive major party nominee for President was shot at and came perhaps within a head turn of dying. Yet given how Donald Trump has operated the entire time he’s been in politics, it’s not in any way surprising.
Trump spent his earliest campaign rallies in 2016 encouraging crowd violence against protesters who showed up. Trump called for the “Second Amendment people” to take action against his opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump then spent his time in office pushing violent rhetoric. And when he lost, he incited a coup against the United States, for which he’s still awaiting criminal trial.
In everyone’s rush to label Trump a “former President” in the wake of the shooting, it’s easy to forget the broader picture here. Donald Trump is a recently convicted felon who got shot while awaiting trial on additional criminal charges. Take the politics out of it, and it sounds like a plotline from The Wire.
Come to think of it, when you consider the fact that Trump was reportedly shot by a registered member of his own political party, it all makes sense. Trump is a violent thug who entered politics with a violent message, incited violence to try to remain in politics, turned his own political party into a violent radicalized cult, and was ultimately violently attacked by a member of his own radicalized party.
What’s profoundly sad is that someone with Donald Trump’s violent rhetoric and violent behavior can get anywhere in American politics to begin with. We also have to keep reminding ourselves that this Republican-on-Republican act of violence doesn’t change anything. Trump is still in the race. He’s still about to become the Republican Party nominee for President. He’s still trying to take over the country in a way that would turn America into a violent hellhole with no way back.
We still have to gear up and win this election. It’s still going to be won thanks to donations, volunteer shifts, door knocking, phone banking, and voter registration work. As political activists, we can’t afford to become paralyzed by what just happened. We don’t have that kind of time to waste. So let’s stay focused and get to work on winning. Donate to Palmer Report
