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On Saturday, the United States marked another low point in the country’s long history of political violence. Within minutes of his rally in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump was shot several times, in an apparent attempt to end his life. The former US president narrowly escaped. He was visibly bloodied and shaken, but was seen defiantly raising his fists as he was escorted from his podium. One spectator was confirmed dead, others are seriously injured, while the suspected assassin was shot dead by the Secret Service.
The event The risk is to take a country that has become more embittered, polarized and violence-prone in recent years in an even darker direction. The responsibility of the American political class to reassert the importance of political calm has never been more important.
Violence has no place in democracy. The weakening of free speech and political tolerance, and the rampant rise of misinformation on social media, have been a feature of American politics over the past decade. The partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans has only widened and become more toxic. This has been accompanied by an increased willingness to use physical force. Sporadic outbreaks of violence over the past four years include the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
But sadly, Saturday’s events are not an anomaly in the country’s long experiment with democratic governance. Assassination attempts or plots against presidents, presidential candidates and other political leaders have been too common.
The real test of their mettle is how democracies react to moments like this. The fear is that Saturday’s events will only further intensify bitter rhetoric among politicians. Some Republicans, including Ohio Senator JD Vance (a candidate for Trump’s running mate), were quick to place blame for the incident on Joe Biden’s campaign. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that… Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” he said. claimed in X.
Trump himself has resorted to incendiary language in his speeches, including during the 2024 election campaignHe is accused of having incited the riots at the Capitol, after denying the result of the November 2020 election. His assassination attempt now risks angering his most fervent supporters. It could deepen divisions or, worse still, be used as a justification for further violence. That must be avoided.
In the past, assassinations or attempted assassinations have served as a wake-up call for the American political system, allowing the voices of reason to reassert themselves. This is needed today more than ever. Politicians of all parties have a great responsibility to urge calm and end the vitriol. Any public statements must be carefully worded. Republicans must speak up and avoid the temptation to use the event as a rallying cry. The former president was heard chanting “fight” as he was led to safety. However, the initial moderate tone he adopted in his posts on his Truth Social platform is welcome.
The clear message that must emerge from this unfortunate episode is that violence is unacceptable and that a divided country that resorts to physical force to resolve its problems is undoubtedly a weaker country.
If America can stabilize its chaotic public discourse, then it should reflect on how it got here. It is astonishing that nearly 60 percent of American adults in a recent survey Republicans agreed that elections would not solve the country’s most fundamental political and social problems. Saturday’s sordid events are another reminder that there is broader corruption in the United States that needs to be addressed and that democracy should never be taken for granted.