Staff Reports
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll is sounding the alarm on how the relentless demonization of former President Donald Trump by his political opponents has primed the nation for a potential political catastrophe. Following an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the poll reveals just how poisonous the political climate has become.
A substantial 41 percent of likely voters believe that the extreme rhetoric employed by the Democrats and the media is directly to blame for the attempted assassination. In numbers that should shock even moderate liberals, 57 percent of Republicans, 26 percent of Democrats, and 39 percent of independents agree that portraying Trump as some sort of political boogeyman had everything to do with the actions of one deranged Thomas Crooks.
Interestingly, 40 percent of respondents chalked up the attack to mental health issues in the shooter, yet that shouldn’t let the instigators off the hook. The over-the-top vilification and the portrayal of Trump as a threat to democracy have reached absurd levels, with even President Joe Biden getting his digs in, calling Trump a “genuine threat to the nation” and fear-mongering about a potential dictatorship.
I don't believe that boy was mentally ill in the classic sense. He was brainwashed and radicalized. The blame is properly laid..Dems and Media
Flash Poll: More Voters Blame Dems and Media for Assassination Attempt Than Blame Mental Illnesshttps://t.co/cP5PwSrLbK pic.twitter.com/PpBF5HXD8y
— P. J. Lofland (@pamjlofland) July 18, 2024
Sure, some defenders of the Democratic vitriol might argue that correlation doesn’t equal causation, but one doesn’t need a PhD in political science to understand that constant inflammatory rhetoric has a way of festering into real-world violence. It’s politics 101. And when news outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times double down on this narrative, they’re not just reporting the news—they’re shaping it to fit their agenda, contributing to the incendiary atmosphere.
The drumbeat of Trump hatred has echoed far and wide, prompting concerned legislators in Texas to call for the House Oversight Committee to investigate the role such rhetoric played in the assassination attempt. Republican state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, backed by a coalition of GOP lawmakers, is urging Congress to examine how portraying Trump and his supporters as “enemies” or “threats to democracy” has stoked the flames of political violence.
Their call to action emphasizes the need to scrutinize how this “flammable rhetoric” could have such a “detrimental impact” on the country. They’re asking for a return to honest political discourse focused on policy, not personality assassination. With any luck, this investigation could shine a spotlight on those who prefer to fan the flames of division rather than foster genuine debate.
