There is something about the two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump that has been nagging me since the aftermath of the first shooting.
The reactions from members of the chattering class were predictable. Many on both sides were outraged about the attempt on a former president’s life.
However, some in the media attempted to downplay the role their rhetoric may have played in inspiring the two would-be assassins. Others went so far as to blame Trump for supposedly inciting violence against himself.
I recently wrote a piece responding to an op-ed by Matt Bai from The Washington Post, in which he argues against the anti-Trump bias displayed by many of his colleagues. I didn’t address his opening paragraph in my response, but something about it made me understand what had been nagging me all this time.
I don’t agree with Donald Trump when he posits that Democrats are provoking people into trying to kill him. Trump’s own rhetoric — inflammatory, belittling, darkly warning of violence if he doesn’t get his way — probably has more to do with making him the target of delusional attention seekers than anything his opponents have said.
Bai is parroting talking points peddled by many left-wing talking heads. At first glance, it might appear as if they are simply trying to deflect blame from the incendiary rhetoric they have employed against Trump and his supporters since 2015. But I’m realizing there is something far more sinister at play.
During a recent CNN panel, the participants used the same tactic, pretending that Trump’s manner inspires people to take shots at him – literally and metaphorically.
CNN just spent an entire panel — featuring @secupp, @Bakari_Sellers, @Acosta, & my old friend @SarahLongwell25 — blaming Trump for those attempting to murder him.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 17, 2024
"Donald Trump ... created this specter of political violence that we all now live under. And he lives under it,… pic.twitter.com/jqmRmrP3ci
RedState’s Sister Toldjah wrote a piece about an Ohio newspaper that tried to pin the assassination attempts on Trump.
Opinion: Opinion: There is no place in politics for violence. That said, the former president, Donald Trump, brings a lot of this stuff on himself. https://t.co/vq4J5VSKIe
— Enquirer (@Enquirer) September 16, 2024
NBC News’ Lester Holt also seemed to imply that it was Trump’s approach to politics that was to blame for the attempts on his life.
NBC News' Lester Holt suggests that Trump and JD Vance are responsible for the assassination attempt on Trump today, suggesting that it's tied to them repeating stories they have heard about Haitians eating animals in Springfield, Ohio.pic.twitter.com/FDrlzhc1MG
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 15, 2024
The New York Times published a piece two days after the second attempt that echoed similar sentiments.
The threat of violence — at times, even the need for it — has been a core part of Mr. Trump’s message.
He has already cast doubt on the credibility of the coming November election results. He has persistently laced his language with calls to “fight” and used incendiary terms to insult immigrants. Just before the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, he urged followers to “fight like hell” or they would not “have a country any more.” In general, he has shown an ironclad incapacity to accept many truths, including the result of the 2020 election.
So what is behind this ridiculous victim blaming?
I would posit that it is far more than Democrats trying to absolve themselves of their contributions to America’s current political divisions and tensions. Indeed, I believe it is an effort to silence those who oppose their ideology.
People pretending that Trump brought the assassination attempts on himself are, consciously or unconsciously, sending the message that if a prominent individual forcefully opposes progressive views, then they could also face violence or other types of punishments. Even further, any negative consequences for expressing their views are their own fault for daring to argue against progressivism.
To put it simply, they want to blame the assassination attempt on Trump because they want you to shut up.
This isn’t just about deflecting blame from themselves. Their arguments carry with it a covert threat: If you don’t shut up, something like this can happen to you.
Of course, I am not suggesting that leftists plan to kill everyone who disagrees with them. That would be an impossible undertaking. But they can bring about other consequences for opposing their ideology. We have already seen the rise of cancel culture and the use of lawfare to punish those who do not go along with their ideas.
In these instances, they have also blamed the victims for having the wrong views and the temerity to voice them on social media or in other areas. The authoritarian left has long given up on using persuasion as a primary way to bring people into its fold. Now, it is relying more on force to compel the rest of the nation to acquiesce to their agenda.
The narratives surrounding the assassination attempts on Trump are merely another tactic aimed at shutting down their opposition. Let’s hope we don’t fall for it.
