There are some moments in life so heart-shattering, petrifying and beyond the pale — so outside the realm of normalcy — that people of all stripes unite in absolute horror and disbelief.
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump this past Saturday was one such political shock wave that left world leaders and citizens alike in stunned disbelief. Americans have subsequently been feeling an avalanche of emotions, with fear, anger and confusion leading the charge.
Almost immediately, debate percolated over who was responsible for the shooting that claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, a heroic rally attendee who shielded his wife and children from the rifle shots. Meanwhile, three others — including Mr. Trump — were injured.
Certainly, the gunman, whom the Secret Service killed, bears the sole responsibility for pulling the trigger in a sinister ploy to snuff out innocent lives. Nevertheless, the event forces us to ask some difficult, introspective questions about the rancor dominating our electoral discourse.
How much responsibility do we — the voters, media and elected leaders of this great nation — bear for our increasingly fiendish climate? The reality is, quite a bit.
To begin: The use, misuse and abuse of fear to create panic has been rampant. Since the assassination attempt, some supporters of the former president have appropriately hammered the media and Democratic politicians, in particular, for incessantly likening Mr. Trump to a fascist and warning his reelection will somehow spark the death of democracy itself.
“The choice in this election is simple,” President Biden said this month on X. “Donald Trump will destroy democracy. I will defend it.”
And in a June 28 message, Mr. Biden added: “Donald Trump is a genuine threat to this nation. He’s a threat to our freedom. He’s a threat to our democracy. He’s literally a threat to everything America stands for.”
Mr. Biden isn’t alone. Progressive elites have no doubt made it clear they believe this isn’t a “normal” election and that Mr. Trump’s win would mean something nefariously dark for America. These apocalyptic warnings have been nearly constant.
Critics believe the rhetoric has helped breed a dynamic of panic and fear over Mr. Trump. But the shooting seems to have changed some of that. In fact, a few Democrats are openly agreeing the language used to describe a second term for Mr. Trump is problematic, unhelpful — and must be curbed.
Rep. Jared Golden, Maine Democrat, took to X after the shooting to implore fellow politicians to stop lobbing the “fascist” label at their opponents.
“We can start by dropping hyperbolic threats about the stakes of this election,” Mr. Golden wrote. “It should not be misleadingly portrayed as a struggle between democracy or authoritarianism or a battle against fascists or socialists bent on destroying America.”
And he wasn’t done there, calling such antics “dangerous lies.”
Mr. Biden, too, has called for a political reboot of sorts, delivering an Oval Office address Sunday night imploring Americans to “lower the temperature in our politics.”
“Do remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies,” Mr. Biden said. “We’re neighbors, we’re friends, co-workers, citizens and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together.” That’s certainly a different tune from his earlier messages.
As for Mr. Trump, he delivered Truth Social posts after the shooting along the same lines, proclaiming that it’s “more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
The former president said he is even rewriting his Republican National Convention speech to pivot from a “humdinger” that was likely to slam Mr. Biden to a treatise aimed at uniting.
“It is a chance to bring the country together,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I was given that chance.”
And it’s something America desperately needs. Just consider the unhinged reactions from certain anti-Trump people. Some seemed to indicate Mr. Trump’s own boisterous rhetoric and behavior somehow made such violence against him unsurprising.
Others, like one now-dismissed Democratic employee, allegedly responded to the shooting by posting, “Don’t miss next time.” Not only are these messages inappropriate, but they’re also inhumane and dangerous, adding fuel to our political fires.
So, coming back to our original question: Who’s really responsible for the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump?
Ultimately, the person accountable is the misguided 20-year-old who pulled the trigger. Regardless, the rest of us do have a responsibility. We must take a step back, pause and ponder the political hellscape we’ve created with our rhetoric and unrestrained hatred.
It’s far past time for us to do better. It starts with Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, extends to congressional leadership, and comes down to each and every one of us.
This horrifying event — one that will no doubt be memorialized in the history books — offers a true moment for us to rein in our rhetoric, for the media to stop sensationalizing every story about Mr. Trump, and for sanity to prevail.
Politics will always be contentious, and issues will spark passionate debate. But hatred and discord, manufactured panic, bullets ringing out at peaceful political rallies — and attempted assassinations — are unimaginable.
If we’re to be a beacon of freedom and liberty to the world, we must step up, learn to love our enemies, stand firm in our convictions, and rail against the nonsense that led us to this place.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books.
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