Within hours of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a large political rally in western Pennsylvania, Politico was reporting that the shooting “has effectively silenced Democrats’ political attacks,” but it may have been a statement from a gun rights group which properly framed the depths to which the campaign against Trump had descended.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms called it “an atmosphere of irrational hatred” in a statement released late Saturday.

Whether the attempt on Trump’s life was influenced by political rhetoric, which has even included President Joe Biden, remains to be determined. As Politico reported July 8, Biden “delivered a forceful message in a private call with his National Finance Committee” which apparently includes top Democratic donors. In that call, Biden reportedly stated, “I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”

Alleged would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, reportedly used a semiautomatic rifle to fire at least a half-dozen shots from a rooftop some 130 yards from where the former president, and presumed GOP 2024 presidential nominee, was standing. Trump was nicked in the ear in what observers have called a miraculous escape from being fatally wounded. One man in the audience was fatally hit, and two others were seriously wounded.

Fox News is reporting the rifle used in the shooting was legally purchased by the suspect’s father. It is not known how he got access to the rifle.

According to Fox News, Crooks—from Bethel Park, Pa.—was a registered Republican but his only political activity appears to have been a $15 donation to the Progressive Turnout Project, which supports Democrat candidates.

A defiant Trump raised a clenched fist and yelled to his supporters, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” He was then transported to a local hospital for treatment.

A glance back at the rhetoric from Trump critics over the past months reveals a deep-seated dislike for the former president and current GOP front runner which may be, at least for now, considerably toned down, but still merits scrutiny.

As reported June 2 by The Hill, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler was quoted stating, “We want to remind the American people ahead … of the first debate on June 27 of the unique, persistent, growing threat Donald Trump poses to the American people and towards democracy.”

Tyler was also quoted back in January in a different story by The Hill, in which he reportedly told the Washington Post, “He’s promising to rule as a dictator and use the government to exact retribution on his political enemies, all while he and his MAGA supporters encourage and applaud political violence across the country.”

Writing at The Intercept in May, James Risen stated, “Donald Trump represents an existential threat to democracy in the United States. If he is elected president, he will try to become a dictator. That warning must be repeated, over and over again, so Americans don’t forget it in November.”

And on April 1, progressive activist Robert L. Borosage wrote at The Nation, “That Trump represents a clear and present danger to our democracy seems apparent.”

While Politico reported how former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “joined dozens of Democrats issuing statements of sympathy and prayers — holding back any criticism of their biggest political foil for the last eight years,” not all Democrat candidates apparently got the message.

Two Democrats vying for their party’s slot on Washington State’s 6^th Congressional District ballot in November are both running advertisements suggesting they are running because Trump will be the Republican nominee. Public Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz’s commercial launched this past week shows an image of Trump in the background and talks about abortion. State Sen. Emily Randall’s TV ad has her telling the audience she “used to work at Planned Parenthood until he (pointing at film of Trump) was elected.” Right, she’s also running on the abortion issue.

But abortion/reproductive rights have nothing to do with representing the Evergreen State in Congress because abortion has been protected by law for years in Washington, and everybody knows it. Neither Democrat can run on the economy, because inflation is high, the cost of gasoline has been elevated by Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee’s climate change agenda carbon tax, and they can’t run on public safety because crime is also high. So, they pick an emotional issue and instead of running against Republican opponents, they’re both running against Trump. He’s the bogeyman they’re both demonizing.

And Everytown for Gun Safety President John Feinblatt couldn’t resist exploiting the assassination attempt to push the group’s gun prohibition agenda:

“This is an unacceptable and tragic reminder of our nation’s gun violence crisis,” Feinblatt said. “Violence of any kind has no place in our political process. This horrific act is another reminder that no one is immune from experiencing gun violence. When guns are everywhere, for anyone, with no questions asked—no one is safe.”

By contrast, the CCRKBA reaction took a far different approach.

Chairman Alan Gottlieb observed, “It is despicable that Donald Trump has been vilified for many months as a ‘threat to democracy.’ What has become clear is that the level of hateful rhetoric directed at the former president is the real threat to democracy, which is underscored by the Biden campaign’s suspension of political advertising…There is no room for the sort of vile rhetoric which has been rampant so far in the campaign to demonize Mr. Trump and prevent at all costs his possible re-election in November.”

About Dave Workman

Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.