After the shooting of Trump, Republicans blame Biden’s rhetoric, despite lack of evidence linking him directly to the act.
Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, many of his Republican supporters quickly sought to assign blame to President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Senator J.D. Vance, a prominent Republican figure, claimed that Biden’s campaign rhetoric led directly to the shooting. His comments were part of a broader wave of Republican accusations, even though the FBI has not yet identified the shooter’s ideological background.
In the days after the shooting, Republican lawmakers and commentators criticized Biden for comments he made about the 2024 election. Biden’s remark that it was “time to put Trump in the bullseye” during a donor call was cited as an example of inflammatory rhetoric. However, Biden’s campaign clarified that this statement was meant to focus on defeating Trump, not inciting violence.
Others, including House Representative Steve Scalise, who himself was the victim of a 2017 shooting, also attributed blame to left-wing rhetoric for fueling the attack. Some Republicans even went as far as accusing Biden directly, with Representative Mike Collins alleging that “Joe Biden sent the orders,” though no evidence was provided to support such a claim.
Political experts, such as Georgetown University’s Professor Michael Bailey, pointed out that while both sides have engaged in heated rhetoric, Republicans have more frequently tied such language to violent imagery, including references to guns. He noted that past comments by Trump, including mocking the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022, contributed to a volatile political climate.
Despite the accusations, calls for unity have emerged from both sides of the aisle. On July 14, Biden spoke about the need for national unity and urged Americans to tone down their rhetoric. Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley echoed this sentiment, calling for a pause in the divisive political discourse.
Despite these calls for calm, many Republican officials continue to accuse Democrats of stoking the political violence, further deepening the partisan divide. Professor Bailey emphasized the importance of depoliticizing the shooting, warning that the environment in the U.S., with its high levels of gun ownership, could lead to further violence if rhetoric continues to escalate.
