As Founding Father Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls."
In the wake of Saturday's tragic events, during which former President Donald Trump came within a half-inch of being assassinated, we as a country are experiencing a reckoning regarding who we are and the character that constitutes our nation.
An innocent man—a volunteer firefighter named Corey Comperatore—lost his life on Saturday when he heroically shielded his family from the bullets fired by a killer whose motives remain unclear. Comperatore's family, and those of the other victims who were injured, deserve our deepest sympathies.
It is also right that we condemn the political violence that nearly took Trump's life, and that we should advocate settling our differences with ballots and not bullets.
But we also have to be careful in another way, too, and that is to not fall for the power of narrative and allow it to overshadow truth and turn our values into victims.
There is a narrative being sold that this attempted assassination was the result of unfair or misapplied rhetoric against Trump, as if he is just some peaceful character or a Republican of times past, who we simply have differences of opinion with. Don't buy into it.
Just as we should condemn the political violence that occurred on Saturday, we should similarly condemn Trump and the MAGA movement. Trump and his followers constantly promote violence and present liberals as anti-democratic threats to the nation who, they claim, are operating a secretive "deep state," are allowing in migrants who are "poisoning the blood" of the country, and who are cheating at elections that Trump really won, and feminizing a once masculine nation through their "gay agenda." This is not an occasional claim or slip-up but a constant drumbeat from a right wing that is intent on spreading lies and fear and disenfranchising voters.
Building on this narrative, many on the right have been looking to turn Saturday's events into their "Remember the Maine" moment, as if the tragedy justifies their beliefs and verifies MAGA's intentions. They have sought to make Trump into a martyr and hero, the now famous picture of him being pushed off the stage by the Secret Service with blood on his face and his fist in the air—an Iwo Jima-like image. Some members of Congress and other elected officials on the Republican side have openly blamed President Joe Biden and the "rhetoric" on the left that has made Trump out to be a potential despot and a threat to democracy.
Even on the left, there have been suggestions that we need to "lower the temperature," creating a false equivalency that makes it appear like liberals have been exaggerating the danger that Trump poses.
Yet we call Trump a demagogue and potential despot for a simple reason—because he is one, and that fact has not changed. And while we should completely condemn the actions of the shooter, we should not stop condemning Trump and Trumpism for promoting hate and violence on a regular basis.
The spirit of conflict is so ingrained in Trump, in fact, that he promoted it even right after the top of his ear was blown off and one of his supporters lay dead. When former President William McKinley was shot—a wound that would later prove fatal—he pleaded with the crowd for peace, for them not to hurt his assailant, even. After rising back up from his assassination attempt, Trump repeatedly mouthed the word "fight" with his fist up, still looking to instigate. The shooter was already dead. Who was he signaling for his supporters to fight?
This is the man, let's not forget, who made jokes about Paul Pelosi being attacked, as did his son and namesake, Donald Trump Jr. Trump has repeatedly posted images and messages on Truth Social claiming that America is under attack by liberals and that he is our only possible salvation. He has made our situation appear apocalyptic, and has said that Democrats are to blame. He has also expressed hatred for, among others, Black people, transgender people, atheists, Mexicans, Muslims, women, and the disabled.
The Secret Service protected Trump on Saturday. Yet when the Capitol was attacked by his supporters on Jan. 6, Trump sent no one to protect the lawmakers and police officers there and waited until the attack had failed before telling those supporters to go home. He still claims that those jailed for that attack are "hostages." Is he going to change his tune on that?
You can be sure, too, that should Trump become president again, he would only be interested in protecting those deemed loyal to him.
Let's remain loyal to peace and democracy instead.
Ross Rosenfeld is a political writer and educator based on Long Island. Follow Ross on Substack.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
