Donald Trump Jr. has blamed the media for the assassination attempt on his father. During a recent interview to discuss the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the former President’s son said “regime propaganda” had encouraged public hatred of his father, as well as protecting Vice President Kamala Harris from public scrutiny. He insisted that Harris has not spoken to reporters and that the Democrats have engineered it this way because “she’s not good off-script.”
Trump Jr. described the mainstream media as “embarrassing” and claimed it is working with Democrats to ride roughshod over Democracy by labeling conservatives as “fascists” while simultaneously acting like fascists by attempting to silence and demonize their opponents.
The Republican candidate’s first-born is not the only Trump supporter to lash out at journalists and attribute the Pennsylvania assassination attempt to their coverage of the former President. Immediately after the shooting, Mr. Trump’s backers reportedly turned to the gathered press and shouted, “This is your fault.” Reporter Sophia Cai later stated that some attendees even threatened violent retribution against her colleagues and told them, “You’re next.”
When 20-year-old Pennsylvania native Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Donald Trump and his supporters – killing one and seriously injuring two – the resulting blame was laid at the door of several people and institutions. Some Republicans blamed Democrats, including President Joe Biden. Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, for instance, tweeted that the District Attorney in Butler County should immediately file charges against the President “for inciting an assassination.”
Similarly, Senator Rick Scott of Florida said the shooter was “inspired by the rhetoric of the radical left.” Later, GOP members in Congress began pointing the finger at the Secret Service, who had inexplicably allowed an armed man to get a clear view of Mr. Trump. The agency’s director, Kimberley Cheadle, testified before a Congressional committee, and while she acknowledged that the Secret Service had significantly failed in its role, she initially resisted calls for her resignation. Nevertheless, she stood down days later.
Donald Trump, however, defended the Secret Service and recently said he was “shot at” because he says things politicians are not typically expected to say.