Political rhetoric needs to cool down

The apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump on the golf course near his Florida club, just two months after the shooting at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally in which a bullet grazed Trump’s ear and a rallygoer was killed, is a shocking reminder of the toxic climate in American politics. But now, as after the shooting in July, many Republicans are blaming Democrats for making Trump a target by calling him a threat to democracy. Are Democrats guilty of incitement — or are Republicans guilty of cynically exploiting concerns about political violence?

"Two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump," vice presidential candidate JD Vance said after the arrest of the Florida suspect, Ryan Routh, who was found lurking in shrubbery outside the course with a high-powered rifle. "The left needs to tone down the rhetoric and needs to cut this crap out." The lack of assassination attempts against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, he asserted, attested to the "difference between conservatives and liberals."

But conservatives vs. liberals may not be the issue. The Pennsylvania gunman was a mentally disturbed young man with no clear ideology who was evidently intent on shooting a presidential candidate — he had searched for rallies for both Trump and President Joe Biden.

While Routh did have political motives, he hardly fits the profile of a "liberal." He voted for Trump in 2016, then turned vehemently against him. He donated modest sums to Democratic candidates in 2019-2020 — primarily to Tulsi Gabbard, a maverick Democrat and now a Trump supporter. Last year, he backed primary challenges to Trump by Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley. He passionately supported Ukraine and tried to help recruit foreign fighters to its cause, but was snubbed by Ukrainian coordinators due to bizarre behavior.

Routh is an unstable man with a criminal record and muddled ideas. It seems highly doubtful that he was taking his cues from top Democrats.

The hand-wringing over the Democrats’ incendiary rhetoric also seems blatantly hypocritical considering Trump’s own language — including his comment after Routh’s arrest. He charged that Harris’ and Biden’s rhetoric "is causing me to be shot at," and then accused them of "destroying the country." Surely, that’s at least as inflammatory as calling Trump a threat to democracy.

Strong language about Trump has come not only from Democrats but from anti-Trump Republicans: Former Vice President Dick Cheney recently said that "there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump." One may disagree, but Cheney’s argument — that Trump "tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power" — is compelling. One may add that Trump is already making unfounded and dangerous claims about election-fraud plots in 2024.

Have some Democrats used more inflammatory language? When Republicans look for evidence of actual incitement, the pickings are pretty slim. Yes, New York Rep. Dan Goldman of Manhattan said in a TV interview last year, while deploring Trump’s dangerous rhetoric, that he "needs to be eliminated"; in context, Goldman was clearly talking about not allowing Trump to return to power, and he promptly apologized for his language. He also unequivocally condemned the attempts on Trump’s life.

There is no question that the volatile atmosphere in this election season poses real dangers. Biden did the right thing in increasing protection for both Trump and Harris. Cooling down the rhetoric is also a good idea. But policing legitimate political speech is not the answer.

Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.

By Cathy Young

Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.