MSNBC host Alex Witt questioned whether former President Donald Trump should consider “softening” his rhetoric following the apparent assassination attempt on Sunday.
Secret Service agents evacuated the former president from Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Reportedly Trump fired at a man with a semi-automatic rifle who came within 500 yards of him as he was playing golf. Witt and MSNBC political analyst Elise Jordan discussed whether Trump would urge his supporters to “de-escalate.” (Related: Liberal media gets initial headline wrong, downplays Trump assassination attempt)
“Alex, unfortunately, we've seen a cycle of political extremism play out in American politics over the last decade. The Lincoln Institute of Democracy did a great poll last year on political extremism and one of the findings was that over 50 percent of Americans no longer view their political opponents as trustworthy opponents, but as untrustworthy enemies,” Jordan told Witt just hours before the police arrived. Confirmed The report said Trump was the target of an assassination attempt, and that “on a scale of radicalization used to measure extremism and radicalism in the Middle East since 9/11, about 13 percent of Americans are actually radicalized political extremists, which is very frightening.”
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“How have we gotten to this point? It's no longer about politics, it's about demonizing the other side. Think about what's happening with the calls for violence and violent rhetoric getting louder. And this heated rhetoric has unfortunately not led to violence on both sides. So I think Democrats and Republicans have to be very conscious of this,” Jordan continued. “What can we do to ease tensions?”
MSNBC guests and hosts have previously attacked Trump on air as a racist, a threat to democracy, a fascist and even mentally unstable.
“Do you think we'll be hearing from the Trump campaign about toning down the rhetoric and the violence, or is that unusual for a former president?” Witt asked Jordan, after noting that Trump would reach out to his supporters after the incident, citing a lack of details surrounding it.
“Alex, remember the assassination attempt on President Trump? There was talk of a new atmosphere, but the Republican Convention was quiet by Trump's standards and he seemed to be trying to tone it down a little bit. But by the end of his convention speech, we were back where we started. So I don't know how long this moment of unity in this country, where we come together and say we don't want any political opponent to be subjected to threats of violence, is going to last.” (Related: Liberal media claims Trump contributed to “violent speech” after assassination attempt)
Trump was shot in the right ear and slightly injured in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania on July 13. The incident killed former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore and injured two other attendees.
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