MSNBC host Alex Witt questioned whether former President Donald Trump's campaign would ask him to “tone down his rhetoric” following the shooting outside the former president's golf club on Sunday.
Shortly after initial reports of gunfire outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the host of “Alex Witt Report” asked whether the Trump campaign would start calling on supporters to “calm down the violence.”
“Do you anticipate there will be calls from the Trump campaign to do that?” Witt asked at the time, “Because he will be reaching out to his supporters and saying, let's take this down. We don't know the source of the gunfire or the shooting. We don't know who is responsible for this. We still don't have 100% confirmation of how this unfolded from start to finish.”
MSNBC's Alex Witt spoke with political analyst Elise Jordan about the shooting outside former President Trump's golf club. (MSNBC screenshot)
She continued, “But do you think we're going to hear from the Trump campaign about toning down the rhetoric? Toning down the violence? Or is that unusual for a former president?”
Donald Trump safe after shooting outside Palm Beach golf club
“Think back to the assassination attempt on President Trump. There was a new atmosphere, 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 time the convention speech ended, we were back where we started,” said Elise Jordan, a political analyst for MSNBC.
She continued, “I don't know how long this moment of unity in our country where we come together and say, 'We don't want any political opposition to be subject to threats of violence. We don't want that.' I hope that there will be such a moment of unity, but I think as we've seen in the past, it will probably be fleeting.”
Jordan also questioned whether people “on both sides” would make an effort to “de-escalate tensions.”
A sheriff's vehicle is parked near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, after gunshots were reported near former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Stephanie Mattatto)
“Why have we gotten to the point where we're demonizing the other side… It's not politics anymore. It's become so much more than that, and we have calls for violence, violent rhetoric and see what happens. This heated rhetoric has unfortunately led to violence on both sides. So I think Democrats and Republicans have to be very conscious of this. What can we do to turn down the heat?” Jordan said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to MSNBC for comment.
Joy Reid suggests Trump's comments after assassination attempt 'could not have avoided consequences'
Initial reports of the shooting said two people were aiming at each other and that Trump was not the target, but after new information emerged the FBI issued a statement saying it appeared to be a new assassination attempt on the former president.
A law enforcement source confirmed to Fox News that the suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly carrying a rifle when officers opened fire on him.
Authorities say the man was able to break through a chain link fence outside the golf club and produce a gun.
He was about 300 to 500 yards from Trump when Secret Service officers spotted Routh and opened fire.
Routh was able to flee, but was later stopped and arrested by authorities. He was found in possession of two backpacks and a GoPro camera. The rifle was recovered from bushes outside the golf course.
This was the second assassination attempt made against President Trump in the past few months. (AP/Jay C. Hong)
The incident came nearly two months after the attempted assassination of President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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Fox News' Bradford Betts and Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
