The nation and the world is reeling from the shocking, disturbing assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
Much is unknown about the assassin, and the motivation, but violence against any political leader is totally reprehensible.
It is a relief that Trump was only slightly injured, although sadly, one person was killed and two others were seriously wounded in this dastardly assassination attempt.
Having said all that is appropriate to say, one must recognize that the right wing in this country and Donald Trump himself has been escalating their rhetoric, advocating violence and bloodshed against their perceived “enemies”.
So use of such rhetoric only promotes such action, and already, the right wing is politicizing the tragedy, and seems ready to raise the stress level ever further, putting candidates for public office in danger, and particularly the Democratic Party opposition led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
It looks likely that ever more danger and threats will undermine the Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2024, and short term at least, will probably lead to a political advantage for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
With the status of Joe Biden, as to whether he will continue to run, or bow out, still up in the air, we are on the road to the most tumultuous possible situation since at least 1968, but in many ways, going back to 1860!
Also, this author and blogger wishes to respond to one reader who was upset that I posted a final article a short time ago about the dangers of Project 2025.
That article was planned before this horrible event, and even in the midst of this terrible tragedy, freedom of expression remains an American virtue, and there is no need to stifle such a basic civil liberty!
Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack against former US President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. They identified him as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally. Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement. They said he used a semi-automatic rifle. He was registered to vote as a Republican, according to a listing in Pennsylvania’s voter database. This year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in. Federal Election Commission records show that a donor listed as Thomas Crooks with the same address gave $15 to a Democratic-aligned political action committee called the Progressive Turnout Project in January 2021.
Reuters is also reporting that he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians.
My guess is that he registered as a Republican so that he could vote against Trump in the Pennsylvania primary.
Reminds me of the 1960s.
He didn’t write much on social media, making the motive harder to know. It could be a scenario akin to John Hinckley’s shooting of Ronald Reagan, an assassination attempt motivated by a clinically delusional bid to capture the attention of actress Jodie Foster.
Some Republican members of Congress are already blaming Democrats for the attempt on Trump’s life. The phrase “inside job” is currently trending on Twitter.
Various world leaders are condemning the assassination attempt.
https://apnews.com/article/us-trump-shooting-global-reaction-72aa3d6e6b756b9704a9c3dd9cfc52e9
Republicans blaming Biden are appalling!
“The radical Left tried to kill Trump.”
That’s we’ll hear non-stop at the GOP convention next week.
The shooter had explosive material inside his car and residence, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Biden will address the country again around 1:30 p.m. ET this afternoon.
He was spotted outside the event by local law enforcement, who thought he might’ve been acting suspiciously near the walk-through metal detectors, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Authorities announced over law enforcement radio to keep an eye on him, and that information was passed to Secret Service as well, according to the source.
Later, people alerted law enforcement in a field outside the event that they saw a gunman up on the rooftop.
Law enforcement should have been up on that rooftop immediately.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro identifies firefighter as the victim killed at Trump rally. His name was Corey Comperatore and he dove on his family to protect them as the shots were fired.
Sounds like law enforcement boo-booed. They should have dealt with him at the metal detectors.
Authorities are looking into his background. He sounds like one of these weirdos that shoots up schools. He was bullied in high school, did not fit in with other students and was described as quiet by former classmates.
Some Trump supporters blame the media for assassination attempt, saying “You’re next”.
https://www.cnn.com/trump-supporters-blame-media/index.html
I noticed one of them was looking at the camera and giving the finger and yelling F— you.
Wisconsin, where the GOP convention will be taking place this week, is an open carry state.
During an MSNBC segment on July 14, national security reporter Ken Dilanian warned that the Proud Boys and other far-right extremist groups have responded to the attack by calling for a civil war.
https://www.alternet.org/ken-delanian-trump-proud-boys/
Supposedly Trump is going to change his convention speech.
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/trump-shooting-republican-convention-speech-rewrite
MSNBC is not airing Morning Joe this morning, opting to instead air continued breaking news coverage of the attempted assassination of Trump. The network said the show will resume airing Tuesday. A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/14/media/msnbc-morning-joe-pulled-trump-assassination/index.html
The press is already “both-sidesing” the response to the attempted assassination on Saturday evening. I noticed it when I tuned in to CNN’s coverage yesterday.
Judge Aileen Cannon has dismissed the Trump classified documents case, saying special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment violated the Constitution.
https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/aileen-cannon-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case-rcna161879
Very disappointed about that.
Trump is expected to announce his running mate “sometime this afternoon,” according to Politico Playbook.
https://www.politico.com/playbook
Guarantee you that, if Trump wins, he’ll put her on SCOTUS.
He’ll make her Attorney General.
Trump is requesting that RFK Jr. get Secret Service protection.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Trump decides to pick him for VP.
New polling from the New York Times and Siena College in Pennsylvania and Virginia finds close races in both states, with no clear leader between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in either state. The polls were completed before Saturday’s assassination attempt at the Trump rally.
In Pennsylvania, the survey finds Trump at 48% to Biden’s 44% among registered voters, nearly identical to the findings of a late April/early May Pennsylvania poll from the Times, Siena and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The numbers among likely voters in the new poll are similar (48% Trump to 45% Biden).
In Virginia, 46% of registered voters say they would vote for Biden, 44% for Trump. Biden carried Virginia by 10 points in the 2020 election, and this is the second recent high-quality poll to find a close race there. Among likely voters, the Times/Siena poll finds 48% behind Biden, 45% Trump.
Biden’s approval rating among registered voters is higher in Virginia (41%) than in Pennsylvania (36%), but in both states, roughly 7 in 10 say they agree that Biden is “just too old to be an effective president,” (73% say so in Pennsylvania, 70% in Virginia). About 4 in 10 say the same about Trump (43% in Pennsylvania, 41% in Virginia).
In Virginia, majorities say they would like to see both major party nominees replaced: 60% say Biden should drop out and there should be a different Democratic nominee, 56% say so about Trump. In Pennsylvania, 57% say Biden ought to drop out and be replaced while 50% say the same about Trump.
The surveys were conducted July 9-11 among 872 registered voters in Pennsylvania and from July 9-12 among 661 registered voters in Virginia. Results among registered voters have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points in Virginia and 3.7 points in Pennsylvania. (Note that the margin between Biden and Trump in Pennsylvania calculated without rounding is smaller than the error margin, so that race should be reported as having no clear leader.)
A lot of MSNBC viewers were disappointed about the decision to pull Morning Joe this morning.
https://www.alternet.org/morning-joe-pulled/
I wonder if they are going to have their primetime shows tonight? That would be very disappointing if they decide to pull those as well.
The shooting didn’t humble Trump any. He’s back to his old self, attacking the various cases against him on Twitter.
https://digbysblog.net/2024/07/15/shot-and-chaser/
Trump’s made his VP pick and his choice will be seen for the first time at around 4:37 p.m. ET. So far, Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum have been notified they weren’t chosen.
Biden’s interview with Lester Holt will be on NBC tonight.
His pick is J.D. Vance. Of course, that was obvious once it was announced that it wasn’t going to be Rubio or Burgum.
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/jd-vance-trump-vice-president-pick-rcna159005
Picking J.D. Vance shows that Trump isn’t going to pivot and show a unifying message.
MSNBC is going to have their primetime hosts covering the convention speeches tonight.
Vance is a flip flop. In 2016, he was critical of King Donald. Now he’s kissing the ring.
Biden campaign’s statement about Vance: https://bluevirginia.us/2024/07/biden-harris-campaign-as-trumps-running-mate-vance-will-make-it-his-mission-to-enact-trumps-project-2025-agenda
So much for turning down the temperature.
Private efforts to nudge Biden to step aside continue.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/politics/private-efforts-biden-step-aside/index.html
Well…black voters don’t like the efforts to get Biden to step aside.
Black Voters Matter is one of the pre-eminent Black voter advocacy and mobilization groups in the country. issued a scathing rebuke of Democrats who’ve been pressuring President Joe Biden to end his 2024 campaign after a poor debate performance. And it packs a punch.
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/black-voters-matter-biden-drop-out-democrats-rcna161953
The statement by Black Voters Matter can be read in full here: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/uncategorized/black-voters-matter-releases-statement-following-calls-to-replace-biden/
The shooter was a t-shirt that said “Demolition Ranch” on it. Demolition Ranch is a popular YouTube channel for gun enthusiasts. Newsweek reports, “The channel, hosted by Matt Carriker, boasts millions of subscribers and features videos that explore the capabilities of various firearms and explosive devices.”
https://www.newsweek.com/demolition-ranch-trump-shooting-matt-carriker-thomas-matthew-crooks-shirt-youtube-1925757
Morning Joe was back on the air this morning. They blasted NBC’s leadership decision to pull them off the air yesterday.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/16/media/morning-joe-pulled-hosts-disappointed-nbc/index.html
The 20-year-old gunman who tried to kill Trump used his cell phone to search for images of Trump, Biden and other public figures, FBI officials told members of Congress in a briefing, according to The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/us/trump-shooting-crooks-motive.html
He also reportedly posted on the gaming platform Steam before the shooting that “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” according to the Daily Mail.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13645939/Trump-shooter-Thomas-Crooks-wrote-July-13-premiere-watch-unfolds-gaming-platform-Steam-shooting-former-president.html