Staff Reports
A Biden-Harris surrogate has found herself at the center of a political firestorm thanks to some highly questionable wording that echoes a dangerous trend in today’s political landscape. Gina Raimondo, the Biden administration’s commerce secretary and former Democratic governor of Rhode Island, recently appeared on MSNBC to aim at former President Donald Trump. Just days after the second assassination attempt against Trump, her choice of words sparked alarm and outrage among Trump supporters.
Raimondo critiqued Trump for what she described as “another lie” about Vice President Kamala Harris. In her on-air rant about the state of political discourse, she suggested a rather alarming solution to the problem: “Let’s extinguish him for good.” The insinuation behind her peculiar choice of phrasing left many scratching their heads or, perhaps more aptly, feeling a sense of dread. Critics quickly noted that her statement could be interpreted as one more example of a toxic rhetoric that’s increasingly becoming the norm in Democratic circles.
Biden's Commerce Secretary on Trump: "Let's extinguish him for good." pic.twitter.com/o2KuVVIg23
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) September 25, 2024
The backdrop to Raimondo’s comments was far from innocuous. Just days before her MSNBC appearance, federal authorities charged Ryan Wesley Routh with attempting to assassinate Trump. Routh’s motivations seemed tinged with bitter ideologies, as his letters ominously linked Trump’s existence to what he viewed as a dire threat to democracy. This pattern of violent suggestions extends well beyond Routh, with other Democrats and their rhetoric frequently bleeding into calls for extreme action against the former president.
In the fray of online reactions, Routh’s chilling behavior was matched only by the swift backlash against Raimondo. Right-leaning commentators on social media seized upon the term “extinguish,” calling it a poorly veiled euphemism for violence against Trump. Observers remarked that no responsible political figure should use language that could be interpreted as inciting violence, especially in light of such threats against a former president. The message was loud and clear: when heated political discourse escalates to this level, it endangers not only individuals but the fabric of democracy itself.
This incident isn’t happening in isolation, either. Last year saw a slew of Democrats making similarly unsettling remarks about Trump. For instance, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett made headlines by stating on live television that Trump “should be shot,” which eerily echoed a sense of growing permissiveness toward violent language among some who oppose him. Congressman Dan Goldman faced backlash for declaring that Trump “has to be eliminated,” a phrase that raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
In these turbulent times of renewed campaigns and emotional political clashes, members of the Trump campaign have openly voiced their concerns. Trump himself pointed out that the reckless words of current Democratic leaders fuel the violent actions of would-be assassins. The left’s continued descent into incendiary rhetoric leaves one wondering how much further the discourse can devolve before common sense—and civility—make a comeback.
