Former President Donald Trump launched a vigorous attack on Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, accusing her of being behind both assassination attempts against him, arguing that Harris represents a greater threat to democracy on the November ballot. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, the former president built on comments he made late Sunday that he is safe and “will never surrender.”
Citing compelling evidence from past statements made by the gunman, Trump asserted that 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was motivated by “highly inflammatory language” from Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Less than 24 hours after the assassination attempt, media outlets have revealed a series of Routh’s political views, including a statement identifying Trump as a “threat to democracy.”
“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump said of the gunman. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.” The GOP nominee singled out the line “threat to democracy,” which has been repeated extensively by Harris and Walz, contrasting themselves as “unity” leaders. “They are the opposite,” Trump said. “These are people that want to destroy our country.” He added: “It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”
In addition to posting negative messages about President Trump, Routh has a history of making small donations exclusively to Democratic politicians. He recently expressed the view that Democrats “cannot lose” this election, a sentiment that Trump argues is being fueled to the point of violence through legal tactics and rhetoric that borders on incitement. “They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in,” Trump said. “These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen to — that is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one.”
Since leaving the White House, President Trump has been heavily criticized for his alleged role in inciting the January 6th, 2021, riots at the Capitol, with congressional Democrats accusing him of instigating the violence. However, the situation has shifted dramatically. Trump has now survived a second assassination attempt within a span of two months. In July, he narrowly escaped being hit by a rifle shot fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was subsequently killed by counter-snipers.
Crooks’s attack didn’t stop the assertions from Harris and President Joe Biden that Trump is stoking the seeds of hatred and violence. Biden, speaking about Trump’s recent comments on Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, said “any president should reject hate in America” and “not incite it.” Trump, however, told Fox that Biden and Harris are making America “weak… by allowing millions of very dangerous migrants to pour into it and destroying our country and cities.”
“The media is made up of fools that will spew [Democrats’] garbage and spew their sick philosophies and will protect them at all costs, and they can’t believe they get away with it,” Trump said. “Democrats are totally protected by the media.” He criticized the ABC moderators for the outcome of last week’s debate, which many viewers perceived as a win for Harris. Despite this, the debate did not improve her standing in post-debate polls.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.