The attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show grounds on Saturday brought anxiety about our civic and political polarization to a boil. PublicSource invited readers to share their reactions.
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The attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show Grounds on Saturday shook the nation, but may have jolted Southwestern Pennsylvania most of all. After all, our politically purple region was not just the scene of the crime — in which one person, Corey Comperatore, was killed along with presumed shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, and Trump and two others were injured. It was also, apparently, the cradle of the would-be assassin.
PublicSource invited readers to share their reactions. Here is a sample of the responses we received, edited for brevity and clarity. (Names were not provided with all entries and when they were, we withheld full names due to privacy and safety concerns.)
I am frightened about living close to what might later turn out to be the epicenter of a flash point for political violence in this country. I hope the violence deescalates, but am not optimistic. I am concerned that this will provide justification for anyone who was hoping to incite a broader conflict. I am also concerned with the amount of brazen speculation and knee-jerk reactions I am seeing on social media. — name not provided
We are all at risk. There are too many guns and too many young men who feel the need to shoot AR-15 rifles to prove their worth and leave their mark as assassins. For whatever reason, our young men are in crisis: disengaged, alone and finding solace behind the barrel of a gun. We’ll have investigations into this tragedy as with the many school shootings on how to prevent this from happening, but we are missing the mark. It’s not logistics or having additional security, this starts with each individual. We must find ways to help these young men and women before they pick up a weapon. — Judy
Due to the demonization of Trump for the past eight years and the continued demonization of older white men, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The left has been very aggressive during Trump’s term and have continued with their aggressive approach. … I was a Democrat all my life and voted against Trump and have never voted for a Republican, but I find myself with very little choice. — HC
MAGA and DJT have been spewing calls for violence since he was in office. Look what happened on Jan. 6. They incited that violence on the day a democratic process would take place. … So tell me how this incident is unexpected. And please explain to me why the media is not holding DJT accountable for the violence at his own rally. Tell me which party calls for a free-for-all when it comes to guns. — Linda
One civilian was killed and two civilians were wounded during the assassination attempt on Trump. When politicians and leaders resort to violent rhetoric to gain public favor; when they portray our neighbors as dangerous freaks, or criminals, or less “American:” when they encourage individuals to resolve disputes with violence, it is always the people who suffer. It worries me that Trump’s immediate response was to say, “Fight, fight, fight.” — Nat
Who dies? An innocent man, a husband, a father, a beacon of society, shot and killed while creating a protective dome over his family. The target, President Trump, survived. Unintended consequences. That’s always the result of war. … Oh yes, we are a nation at war. Civility has died. Decency died. … The party is over. Dismantle the two-party system in this country now. It’s literally killing us. And we want to live, and thrive! — Diana
I’m relieved that Donald Trump was not killed and only suffered minor injuries. I wish the same could be said for the other rallygoers. I do not like Trump, but watching him raise a bloody fist in defiance moments after surviving an assassination attempt was impressive. When I saw that, one of my thoughts was, “Well, the election is over. Trump has won.” That image, contrasted with Biden struggling through the June debate, is what voters will take with them to the polls. I’m still not going to vote for Trump after he tried to nullify my vote, along with millions of others, just so he could stay in power, but he has earned a little bit of respect from me. The reaction to the failed assassination is making me question some friendships. Seeing some of my friends going on social media to express their disappointment that Trump didn’t die is saddening to me. I haven’t confronted any of them about it since political discussions feel so fruitless. — Jeff
This … reinforces what we know about American democracy: It’s a violent system, because it represents a violent culture. While attacks on presidents have been rare, that’s more a function of the security apparatus than the lack of attempts. It’s been “quiet” on that front since [the shooting of Ronald] Reagan, but there have been multiple thwarted attempts since then. And when we look back in time, we see attacks on [President Gerald] Ford, the assassination of [presidential candidate] Bobby Kennedy … I’d argue that even the police responses to events like Black Lives Matter constitute political violence. … A large portion of Americans see themselves as the just perpetrators of violence on those who aren’t “correct,” each and every one a lone cowboy, a Dirty Harry, whose moral compass justifies any act they do. … This is the background radiation of American Culture, an omnipresent sense that someone is going to grab a gun, throw a punch, toss someone onto the train tracks. — name not provided
Anyone who continues to say the lie that President Trump is a threat to democracy is wrong. … See which party works to silence dissenting views through misinformation departments and pressure on media companies. — Andy
I am optimistic. I feel as if many of us are collectively realizing the instability of our current political and economic states — the crumbling leadership, the lies, the constant stream of misinformation, the tactics used by the government and the media to push narratives that protect the pockets of the rich while the rest of us have to struggle to make ends meet. … Experiencing an assassination attempt, weirdly, may bring many of us closer together as people; in an event such as this, we are forced to recognize our common humanity, really see each other, recognize our collective struggles in an increasingly destabilized and confusing technological landscape. … My hope is that more and more people will reject the divisions, reject the harm done to us by our isolation, reject loneliness, reject the current state of our political system and come together to build something that actually works for us while the shitstorm of the American Dream screeches itself to a halt. — C
Since this was a campaign event, I strongly feel we really, really have to stop looking at elections as “fights.” No elected official has to “fight for us.” Executives have to run the government, legislators have to find consensus for the common good, and judges have to impartially judge based on the law. We are not at war among ourselves, at least not yet. That said, as a survivor of the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting in October 2018, the irony is not lost on me: According to testimony, our synagogue shooter was spurred on by the notion of caravans of immigrant invaders, which lit the fuse of his hatred of Jews [who he thought were] bringing them in. … That criminal shot our friends with an AR-15, a similar gun to the one used at the rally. At the time of the rally shooting, Mr. Trump was talking about immigration. After being shot and witnessing the chaos, did Mr. Trump say, as he was taken off the stage, “Take care of that fellow over there”? … No. He asked for his shoes and then ordered people to “fight.” … We have a lot of work to do. — Audrey
I’m heartbroken that a man lost his life at the Trump rally. Our communities should be safe from gun violence. The majority of Americans believe in sensible gun laws. Donald Trump’s rhetoric has brought violence and hatred to the surface of the nation. It was always there. … I did tell my child about this because I had to. Usually I try to avoid telling them about these kinds of headlines. I’m embarrassed by the lack of progress on so many fronts in our nation and feel like we’re failing our children and the next generation. — name not provided
My thoughts go out to the man that lost his life. — name not provided
While every single prominent Democrat has denounced Sunday’s violence, it’s worth noting that Trump and his supporters have repeatedly called for it. From chants of “lock her up” to storming the Capitol to erecting a gallows for [then-Vice President] Mike Pence, the Proud Boys, plots to kidnap and rape [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer, calls for violence against judges who have ruled against Trump — none of these have been denounced by him. He has at best remained silent. … When he’s spent his political career normalizing and even encouraging political violence, is it really all that surprising that someone got the message? — Aniket
My husband and I (we are both cisgender gay men, I am also a POC raised in Pittsburgh) had already been looking at options for leaving the U.S. For me, this solidified it. Thankfully, my husband has dual citizenship with a European country. This country is not the most progressive when it comes to queer rights, but would we feel safer there? I believe so. I am no longer living in the Pittsburgh area but was visiting the city when this happened. I was at a party where there was great disbelief, fear, uncomfortable humor to lighten the mood, and even disappointment that it happened at all and uncertainty of potential fallout or backlash. … I already began an exit strategy but now it seems accelerated. — Michael
Thoughts and prayers. I appreciate the response from Democratic lawmakers, but am also struggling with it, because Trump would not respond empathetically and compassionately and has not done that for them. … I am puzzled that people care more about an ear than a classroom of kids. — LR
To me, this is sobering. I think that I had been allowing divisiveness and ill will to creep into my heart because of the hatred I see being spread by what Trump stands for, represents, allows. This moment marks one that makes me rein in my own feelings of disgust and anger and ask what am I willing to do to create a safer, more grounded, kinder country, state, city, neighborhood, home? — Sarah
This seems par for the course in our country right now, with people so polarized, mental illness ineffectively diagnosed and treated, guns readily available, opponents vilified. … I was encouraged that Trump’s initial verbal responses after the shooting were about promoting unity, although I don’t trust that he will continue along that line. … There are a couple of my family members who support him, and I really can’t discuss much about politics with them. — Betsy
I should have stayed in Morocco. — name not provided
This article first appeared on PublicSource and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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