Another tragedy for this country is that previously level headed guys like myself don't believe what happened. This is how low confidence has sunk regarding this fraudulent administration, led by the world's greatest conman. Why shouldn't I think this event was scripted to promote a "big beautiful ballroom." And, of course, to pump up some sympathy for the liar in Chief, while distracting from the war and Epstein?
You are not alone in these thoughts. Something just doesn’t add up and I no longer trust this administration to tell the truth. How sad and disappointing is that?
It appears that he’s always no matter what happens looking over the situation to see what can be exploited.
Posting things on social media is just inappropriate. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a president again that does not use social media as official White House communication or repeat and posting things that he should not?
How do we know the shooter was not there to try to kill journalists based on Trump’s rhetoric?
I had heard that he was not going to the White House correspondents dinner and was leaving. I didn’t understand why any journalist would go.
For one thing, we can’t say plots and attempts to assassinate US presidents are uncommon. Also not uncommon are multiple attempts or plots to harm the same president. This is why presidents have lifetime secret service protection. We all know threats against high profile individuals, especially those in public office or government, have grown exponentially during the past decade. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/14/trump-shot-history-assassins-00168058
After JFK was assassinated:
“Attempts have thus been made on the lives of one of every five American Presidents. One of every nine Presidents has been killed. Since 1865, there have been attempts on the lives of one of every four Presidents and the successful assassination of one of every five. During the last three decades, three attacks were made.” (Warren Commission - https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/appendix7.html)
I admit at first I struggled with thinking this was a stunt, since Trump fakes so much.
The thought in my head is exactly what you just addressed. He is the root of the cause of this kind of violence. I started to write about it when your article splashed open in my feed.
:)
You address this eloquently and honestly.
And it bears repeating.
Excerpt:
“For a decade now, Donald Trump has exacerbated a climate of violence, demonizing perceived enemies and often using violent political rhetoric to build animosity, deepen divisions and reap the rewards of growing hatred.
“If you go after me, I’m coming after you,” he threatened a judge and potential witnesses in 2023. “If I don’t get elected … it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” he said in 2024.”
In addition to all the finger pointing, the organization that planned the event should replace its officers, pronto. Bad decision to involve the president and allow all those cabinet members to attend. Postpone the event for a year, reevaluate its purpose, and make big changes.
I was going to make this same point. It now appears that the WHCA has ceded leadership to Trump in not responding to Trump’s assertion that he will determine when the next dinner will be held. The ballroom is a total fraud/con/scam. If a WHCA dinner were ever to be held at the White House it would tell the world that the attendees were indeed the White House’s correspondents.
Just like many other organizations that hold large events, the WHCA is not and should not be a White House event. It is true presidents have always been invited (for over 100 yrs) but the purpose is to support and honor journalism students with scholarships. That’s been lost to the public in the pomp & glamor particularly since T1. Yes, now he wants to take over the event as he took over the selection of WH reporters & journalists from the WHCA.
I suspect he has more takeover plans. His ballroom won’t be finished in time. Right now “national security” is part of a legal argument he made in filings as part of the legal battle over whether he can continue construction of the monstrosity. The WH has smaller event venues & the now concrete Rose Garden. He’ll have to make due.
Exactly so, Ms. Sharon. The most recent court decision has seen through the “national security” fraud and permitted continuation of only the below-ground portion of this monstrosity. He’ll have to move on to the Arc de Trump or similar forms of bad taste.
Steven, thank you for clearly exposing the core malignancy in our culture so well. Donald Trump has sown the seeds of threats of political violence to perceived enemies for over ten years. The result has been near-constant fear, chaos, and distrust within our American society.
When Republican presidents demonized the "other" (Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Bush), Trump was the obvious result of that fear and loathing. Scapegoats are handy for demagogues. America wanted Trump to "be Trump". They want to be rid of the others. The violence that follows only feeds their wants.
Interesting, mass shootings with real victims hardly gets any attention in the media. anymore ...now the media and government are attacked by a shooter in another room with only one wounded, it is blasting all over the airwaves and will be for days to come.... i have stopped watching and reading any of it......
thanks Steven: Well stated. The violence these days stems right out of the White House. A disenfranchised populace breeds nothing but despair and rage. The inaction of congress and the vile actions and words of men such as JD Vance, Russell Vought, Stephen Miller , Brendan Carr, Trump and others creates terror and rage in the soul a peaceful man.
In this Petri dish of demonization, the bacteria of violent reaction keeps replicating. Until and unless we lay aside the methods of demonization first formulated by Newt Gingrich in his Gopac pamphlet distributed to all Republicans running for office in 1990 called Language: A Key Mechanism of Control, this toxic virus will continue to spread. To disagree without denigrating an opponent is essential in proper debate. Let us find a way to reward speech that does not demean, and to recognize demonization for what it truly is: the practice of evil.
For a start, let’s apply some common sense to our insane situation here and severely limit the ownership of guns (banning automatic weapons altogether).
HA! Not going to happen when politicians believe they need to own guns for their protection. They are too foolish to understand the cause and effect of their thinking.
Things tend not to change - and then all of a sudden they do when the right pressure is applied for long enough. We can start to drive that change by voting out the bigots who put the profits of arms manufacturers over the lives of little children in their classrooms.
If any good is to come out of our dreadful current predicament of having a corrupt, self-serving pedophile as President, it will be through total revulsion for everything that this evil thug represents: a revulsion so profound that it allows us to open our eyes to the truth and reinvent ourselves.
Let’s get real: Our country was built on violence and bloodshed. Just ask the average everyday Native American. Or ask Lincoln. JFK. Bobby K. Martin. Reagan. The unique difference at this point in time is that we have a so-called president who extols the virtues of violence. He goes “all John Wayne” at a moment’s notice. What I find interesting is the population popping up suggesting this latest event was staged. I won’t discount that. Think Butler PA
True except there was another president who urged his political followers to violence against opponents and started race riots. He was also the 1st president to be impeached although he wasn’t removed.
Thank you. I am a huge fan of Dr. Richardson. From my most recent reading, it appears the shooter in this incident is the assassin. I may not like Trump, but attempting to kill him is a bit over the top. Hatred and ignorance (stupidity?) are potent motivators.
It’s beyond unfortunate that we have such a long history of attempts to kill our presidents. As we might expect they increase during times of political upheaval and tension. The threats have really exploded during the past decade as violence was made more acceptable by you-know-who.
Trump's reprehensible behavior is amplified and glorified by his followers. JFK was my Commander-in-Chief. I was stationed in Germany with our Air Force. I was all of 19! Our moral decline started long ago. Trump has simply put a rubber stamp on it.
This was a great opportunity for Trump to call for understanding of a troubled man and ask for unity in combating gun violence, better mental health facilities and moving toward peaceful coexistence in the United States. Yes, that is unrealistic for Trump or the majority of politicians to advocate gun control and money spent on health and anger management. America does not have the will to rid themselves of guns as long as politicians carry guns. America does not have the will to spend money on health when they would have to pay more taxes or tax the wealthy. We are in a circle of violence exacerbated by our leaders.
Bravo. I have to say that if this was "staged' as so many are claiming, it was pretty dumb to choose a white-bread American as the stooge. Why not an immigrant? The relentless stochastic terrorism of the right is a much better explanation.
Allen's political involvement seems to far to have consisted of donating $25 to the Harris campaign. He is undoubtedly as frustrated as all of us at the inability of the system to correct itself, particularly with a Congress filled with sycophants and an administration chosen for loyalty to one man, not the constitution. Combine that with constant trootheets that actually SAY that disloyal people or Others should be killed, and you get perhaps a guy who got his ideas of violence as solution from the "highest" level itself.
Sadly, Steven, your analysis is spot on, and the call for more reasonable voices to prevail excludes the entirety of the current Republican party. In such an environment, meaningful solutions to the hateful, violent rhetoric and the repeated episodes of politically-motivated violence will be all but impossible to enact without a complete transformation of the composition and mechanics of our system of government. I’ve stopped holding my breath.
Another tragedy for this country is that previously level headed guys like myself don't believe what happened. This is how low confidence has sunk regarding this fraudulent administration, led by the world's greatest conman. Why shouldn't I think this event was scripted to promote a "big beautiful ballroom." And, of course, to pump up some sympathy for the liar in Chief, while distracting from the war and Epstein?
An understandable question.
You are not alone in these thoughts. Something just doesn’t add up and I no longer trust this administration to tell the truth. How sad and disappointing is that?
Thank you for saying what many think.
It appears that he’s always no matter what happens looking over the situation to see what can be exploited.
Posting things on social media is just inappropriate. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a president again that does not use social media as official White House communication or repeat and posting things that he should not?
How do we know the shooter was not there to try to kill journalists based on Trump’s rhetoric?
I had heard that he was not going to the White House correspondents dinner and was leaving. I didn’t understand why any journalist would go.
For one thing, we can’t say plots and attempts to assassinate US presidents are uncommon. Also not uncommon are multiple attempts or plots to harm the same president. This is why presidents have lifetime secret service protection. We all know threats against high profile individuals, especially those in public office or government, have grown exponentially during the past decade. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/14/trump-shot-history-assassins-00168058
After JFK was assassinated:
“Attempts have thus been made on the lives of one of every five American Presidents. One of every nine Presidents has been killed. Since 1865, there have been attempts on the lives of one of every four Presidents and the successful assassination of one of every five. During the last three decades, three attacks were made.” (Warren Commission - https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/appendix7.html)
Yes. All too common. Absolutely.
I admit at first I struggled with thinking this was a stunt, since Trump fakes so much.
The thought in my head is exactly what you just addressed. He is the root of the cause of this kind of violence. I started to write about it when your article splashed open in my feed.
:)
You address this eloquently and honestly.
And it bears repeating.
Excerpt:
“For a decade now, Donald Trump has exacerbated a climate of violence, demonizing perceived enemies and often using violent political rhetoric to build animosity, deepen divisions and reap the rewards of growing hatred.
“If you go after me, I’m coming after you,” he threatened a judge and potential witnesses in 2023. “If I don’t get elected … it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country,” he said in 2024.”
His hate stirs and ignited Hate.
In addition to all the finger pointing, the organization that planned the event should replace its officers, pronto. Bad decision to involve the president and allow all those cabinet members to attend. Postpone the event for a year, reevaluate its purpose, and make big changes.
Hes using it to justify a ballroom. What protects average citizens from his lawless violent wrath.
I was going to make this same point. It now appears that the WHCA has ceded leadership to Trump in not responding to Trump’s assertion that he will determine when the next dinner will be held. The ballroom is a total fraud/con/scam. If a WHCA dinner were ever to be held at the White House it would tell the world that the attendees were indeed the White House’s correspondents.
Right. They're going to change nsme to pigmen associated in a muddy way
Good enough. We’ve pretty much exhausted all the swamp-related metaphors already.
Just like many other organizations that hold large events, the WHCA is not and should not be a White House event. It is true presidents have always been invited (for over 100 yrs) but the purpose is to support and honor journalism students with scholarships. That’s been lost to the public in the pomp & glamor particularly since T1. Yes, now he wants to take over the event as he took over the selection of WH reporters & journalists from the WHCA.
I suspect he has more takeover plans. His ballroom won’t be finished in time. Right now “national security” is part of a legal argument he made in filings as part of the legal battle over whether he can continue construction of the monstrosity. The WH has smaller event venues & the now concrete Rose Garden. He’ll have to make due.
Exactly so, Ms. Sharon. The most recent court decision has seen through the “national security” fraud and permitted continuation of only the below-ground portion of this monstrosity. He’ll have to move on to the Arc de Trump or similar forms of bad taste.
Steven, thank you for clearly exposing the core malignancy in our culture so well. Donald Trump has sown the seeds of threats of political violence to perceived enemies for over ten years. The result has been near-constant fear, chaos, and distrust within our American society.
When Republican presidents demonized the "other" (Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Bush), Trump was the obvious result of that fear and loathing. Scapegoats are handy for demagogues. America wanted Trump to "be Trump". They want to be rid of the others. The violence that follows only feeds their wants.
Interesting, mass shootings with real victims hardly gets any attention in the media. anymore ...now the media and government are attacked by a shooter in another room with only one wounded, it is blasting all over the airwaves and will be for days to come.... i have stopped watching and reading any of it......
The decline of attention toward mass shootiings is a terrible sign that many have given up. Right to flag this, Hans. Thx.
Well said!
thanks Steven: Well stated. The violence these days stems right out of the White House. A disenfranchised populace breeds nothing but despair and rage. The inaction of congress and the vile actions and words of men such as JD Vance, Russell Vought, Stephen Miller , Brendan Carr, Trump and others creates terror and rage in the soul a peaceful man.
In this Petri dish of demonization, the bacteria of violent reaction keeps replicating. Until and unless we lay aside the methods of demonization first formulated by Newt Gingrich in his Gopac pamphlet distributed to all Republicans running for office in 1990 called Language: A Key Mechanism of Control, this toxic virus will continue to spread. To disagree without denigrating an opponent is essential in proper debate. Let us find a way to reward speech that does not demean, and to recognize demonization for what it truly is: the practice of evil.
Well said, Chris. Thx.
For a start, let’s apply some common sense to our insane situation here and severely limit the ownership of guns (banning automatic weapons altogether).
Citizens have been asking for gun control for decades. Nothing will happen because of the NRA and other gun supporters.
HA! Not going to happen when politicians believe they need to own guns for their protection. They are too foolish to understand the cause and effect of their thinking.
Things tend not to change - and then all of a sudden they do when the right pressure is applied for long enough. We can start to drive that change by voting out the bigots who put the profits of arms manufacturers over the lives of little children in their classrooms.
If any good is to come out of our dreadful current predicament of having a corrupt, self-serving pedophile as President, it will be through total revulsion for everything that this evil thug represents: a revulsion so profound that it allows us to open our eyes to the truth and reinvent ourselves.
Let’s get real: Our country was built on violence and bloodshed. Just ask the average everyday Native American. Or ask Lincoln. JFK. Bobby K. Martin. Reagan. The unique difference at this point in time is that we have a so-called president who extols the virtues of violence. He goes “all John Wayne” at a moment’s notice. What I find interesting is the population popping up suggesting this latest event was staged. I won’t discount that. Think Butler PA
True except there was another president who urged his political followers to violence against opponents and started race riots. He was also the 1st president to be impeached although he wasn’t removed.
The similarities pointed out by Heather Cox Richardson are uncanny. I can’t find the original article but “A Tale of Andrew Johnson” quotes from it: https://reformedjournal.com/2020/11/02/a-tale-of-andrew-johnson/#:~:text=Heather%2520Cox%2520Richardson%252C%2520historian%2520of%2520U.S.%2520history,American%252C%E2%80%9D%2520wrote%2520this%2520on%2520October%25209%252C%25202020:
Thank you. I am a huge fan of Dr. Richardson. From my most recent reading, it appears the shooter in this incident is the assassin. I may not like Trump, but attempting to kill him is a bit over the top. Hatred and ignorance (stupidity?) are potent motivators.
It’s beyond unfortunate that we have such a long history of attempts to kill our presidents. As we might expect they increase during times of political upheaval and tension. The threats have really exploded during the past decade as violence was made more acceptable by you-know-who.
Trump's reprehensible behavior is amplified and glorified by his followers. JFK was my Commander-in-Chief. I was stationed in Germany with our Air Force. I was all of 19! Our moral decline started long ago. Trump has simply put a rubber stamp on it.
This was a great opportunity for Trump to call for understanding of a troubled man and ask for unity in combating gun violence, better mental health facilities and moving toward peaceful coexistence in the United States. Yes, that is unrealistic for Trump or the majority of politicians to advocate gun control and money spent on health and anger management. America does not have the will to rid themselves of guns as long as politicians carry guns. America does not have the will to spend money on health when they would have to pay more taxes or tax the wealthy. We are in a circle of violence exacerbated by our leaders.
Agree, Mary.
Bravo. I have to say that if this was "staged' as so many are claiming, it was pretty dumb to choose a white-bread American as the stooge. Why not an immigrant? The relentless stochastic terrorism of the right is a much better explanation.
Allen's political involvement seems to far to have consisted of donating $25 to the Harris campaign. He is undoubtedly as frustrated as all of us at the inability of the system to correct itself, particularly with a Congress filled with sycophants and an administration chosen for loyalty to one man, not the constitution. Combine that with constant trootheets that actually SAY that disloyal people or Others should be killed, and you get perhaps a guy who got his ideas of violence as solution from the "highest" level itself.
The event was a metaphor for the press being at risk of bring killed.
True, JBR.
Sadly, Steven, your analysis is spot on, and the call for more reasonable voices to prevail excludes the entirety of the current Republican party. In such an environment, meaningful solutions to the hateful, violent rhetoric and the repeated episodes of politically-motivated violence will be all but impossible to enact without a complete transformation of the composition and mechanics of our system of government. I’ve stopped holding my breath.
Thank you!!! For pointing out the obvious! He should have been banned from attending.