JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This is an election year permeated by an increasing number of threats and violence. And this weekend’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump may only serve to intensify the situation.
It is the first assassination attempt in the United States against a current or former president in 43 years.
The reaction from leaders in both political parties, initially, was consistent. President Joe Biden was resolute after the incident in Butler County, Pennsylvania, that shook a nation to its core, saying, “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
And Trump said he is rewriting his convention speech to take advantage of the moment to draw the country together.
Instead of targeting political differences, he will call for national unity.
Not everyone is on board.
Some prominent Republicans openly blamed Democrats for the shooting. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise linked the assassination attempt to what he called “incendiary rhetoric” about Trump. Ironically, Scalise was the victim of a politically motivated shooting in 2017.
Two of Trump’s potential vice presidential candidates also went down that road. Sen. J.D. Vance and Sen. Tim Scott, both pointed the finger of blame at the Democrats, citing inflammatory rhetoric about Trump.
Quite the opposite was a passionate and heartfelt plea from former First Lady Melania Trump. After seeing her husband shot on live TV and worrying that her life might change forever, she asked America to reunite and to “… ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships again. The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide -- thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”
On “Path to the Polls,” will the call to unite and condemn that violence be heard and will it be heeded? Will it resonate because it’s coming from the two most powerful leaders in the world who want to occupy the Oval Office?
We can hope! We can pray! Yet we cannot ignore the reality that this assassination attempt opens a dark new chapter of political violence in modern American history.
This was an attack on every American voter’s right, regardless of your political affiliation, to vote and choose the person you want to lead the nation. This was an attack on the democracy America prides itself on.
Election 2024 has already been unpredictable and has taken many unexpected twists and turns. What we watched in horror unfold before our very eyes in real time was history. How that history will change the course of this election remains to be seen.
Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins me on “Vote 2024: Path to the Polls to discuss these topics and more.
You can stream the News4JAX+ encore presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday or watch any time on demand on News4JAX.com, News4JAX+ and the News4JAX YouTube channel.