Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday shared her reaction to the latest apparent attempt on Donald Trump’s life over the weekend, denouncing the former president’s decision to blame Democrats for the potential attack.
A 58-year-old suspect has been charged with federal gun crimes over his effort to try to assassinate the GOP presidential nominee while he was playing golf at his West Palm Beach club on Sunday. Trump was unharmed.
In an interview with Katie Couric in Washington, D.C., as part of her book tour for the release of her new memoir, Clinton said she was horrified to learn of the news.
“This is such a terrible thing to happen twice in our country in a relative short period of time and it’s frightening to see violence being threatened and used in a political campaign,” Clinton said.
Just nine weeks ago, the former president was shot at during an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump on Monday pinned the blame for the latest attempt on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his main rival in the presidential race, saying they are responsible for motivating the suspect to target him.
“The Rhetoric, Lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris during the rigged and highly partisan ABC Debate, and all of the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to inflict damage on Joe’s, then Kamala’s, Political Opponent, ME, has taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!” he added.
Clinton said it was “regrettable” that Trump turned his assassination attempt, which she described as a “genuinely terrible event,” into a political attack against his Democratic rival.
Democracy In The Balance
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“Everything that he talks about is about himself,” she said. “He doesn’t in any way try to reach out to people. He’s not interested in representing all of America and all of Americans and this is just another really regrettable incident of that.”
Clinton said Trump should have used the opportunity to call for calm and peace.
“If he were really a leader, he should be doing what he can to calm the waters, not try to just continue to throw red meat out there to get people riled up,” she said.