NewsNation host Chris Cuomo has slammed the US media for its “lack of response” to the second assassination attempt on former President Trump in the past few months.
Cuomo began his monologue during Monday night's “Cuomo” broadcast by scolding those who tried to downplay the incident and urged people to “not make too much of a fuss about it.”
“How would you feel if that was your father? Or if that was Kamala Harris or President Biden? Absolutely not,” Cuomo said. “Rather than, how crazy is this happening in our country, do you think we're going to pretty much just shrug our shoulders and talk about the Secret Service and the allocation of funds?”
In response to people who said, “But the guy didn't even fire a shot,” an increasingly agitated Cuomo said, “He had an AK-47 pointed at him.”
“This response is unacceptable,” he continued, “and marks the second time that the media and politicians have gotten away with downplaying what should be causing panic.”
Governor Cuomo criticized politicians from all sides of the political spectrum for their response to the attack.
He slammed tech billionaire Elon Musk, who posted a now-deleted “joke” questioning why “no one has even tried” to assassinate Biden or Harris.
“Elon Musk, I believe in this guy's potential, OK? He hasn't learned that deleting a tweet doesn't make it go away. This just shows he knows what he said was stupid, and to imply he's going to target Ms. Harris is just stupid.”
“I know he's a genius, autistic or not. His comments are stupid and a nod to something that is draining all of us. Elon Musk can lead the way to a better dialogue in our society. I don't know why he is undermining his own importance with cheap attacks like this. I want to work with him. I believe in his platform. I believe in him, but I don't believe in what he's doing.”
Cuomo also said Biden and Harris had not done enough, criticizing their response for condemning political violence and expressing relief that Trump was not harmed.
“Hearing fake stories about eating dogs and cats is just as disturbing to me as seeing a sitting president express fake concern and Democrats trying to lead the charge about what's happened to Trump saying very little. We don't condone violence? Who says that? What does that even mean?”
“Right now we need more than that,” he added.
Governor Cuomo said he had just spoken to President Trump by phone to check on his health, and also offered his feedback on the former president.
“Look, I understand what Trump is saying. Trump is claiming that the violence against him is a threat to democracy because of Democrats and their attacks. And he's saying that they are the real threat to democracy. So if it's wrong for them to call him that and to threaten him, why is he calling them that?”
The monologue came the day after former President Trump was the target of an assassination attempt while playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Secret Service agents several holes nearby noticed a man with a rifle pointing the gun around the course. The rifle was sticking out of bushes 300 to 500 yards away. Secret Service agents fired at the man, who then dropped the AK-47-style rifle and fled in a vehicle. Authorities subsequently arrested the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58.
The suspect was arrested before he could do any harm — a big improvement over the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, which drew scrutiny for the Secret Service's failure to protect the president from a bullet that grazed his ear. But the fact that security agents failed to see the suspect before he raised his rifle raises questions about the level of security surrounding the former president.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
