Staff Reports
A recent escalation in the mainstream media’s narrative surrounding the attempted assassination of Donald Trump has crossed a line into absurdity. After the second assassination attempt on him in just two months, some outlets have decided to turn the tragedy into an opportunity for blame. Instead of condemning the violence that has been directed at a leading Republican figure, they are spinning the story in a way that somehow points the finger back at Trump, as if he asked for it.
The audacity of some media figures knows no bounds. For example, amidst the chaos of an assassination attempt instigated by a deranged individual, NBC’s Lester Holt launched into a wild discussion about Trump’s supposed inflammatory rhetoric. According to Holt, it’s Trump’s role in the political discourse that warrants scrutiny, not the individuals who resort to violence against him. This twisted logic is emblematic of the left’s desperate efforts to absolve perpetrators while vilifying their victims.
Opinion: Opinion: There is no place in politics for violence. That said, the former president, Donald Trump, brings a lot of this stuff on himself. https://t.co/vq4J5VSKIe
— Enquirer (@Enquirer) September 16, 2024
The Cincinnati Enquirer recently gave a platform to a reader who took this blame game even further, claiming that Trump “brings a lot of this stuff on himself.” This sentiment was so outrageous that it’s almost comical—if it weren’t rooted in a serious attempt to shift accountability onto the very man targeted for violence. The writer suggested that Trump’s criticisms of certain immigrant populations and his refusal to concede the 2020 election are to blame for the violent acts committed against him. It’s almost as if the Enquirer is signaling that if a political figure offends someone, they somehow deserve the repercussions of that offense.
It’s actually worse than the tweet makes it.
Cinci’s biggest newspaper published this two paragraph reader letter, arguing in part that it’s Trump’s fault because protecting him is expensive. https://t.co/TZKaWOkIhQ pic.twitter.com/oiFglGNijO
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) September 16, 2024
Interestingly enough, this convoluted reasoning has not gone unnoticed. Conservative voices across social media have expressed their outrage, underscoring that such narratives undermine the very fabric of political discourse. The sentiment is clear: violence is unacceptable, and blaming the victim is both a ridiculous and dangerous line of thinking. Although some might shrug this off as just another instance of media overreach, it reflects a troubling trend of victim-blaming that has crept into the rhetoric of many on the left.
This normalization of blame when it comes to violence against conservatives is not just irresponsible—it’s emblematic of a larger issue within the mainstream media and progressive circles. The acceptance that some provocative speech can justify violent actions sets a dangerous precedent for political dialogue in America. As exemplified in the response from conservatives on social media, it appears that audiences are not just passively observing this downward spiral but are actively rejecting this rhetoric.
The conservative community is rallying to push back against the media’s attempts to reframe the narrative surrounding political violence. Rather than allow their rhetoric to be twisted into claims that the victim is at fault, they are making it clear that such justifications for violence can never be tolerated. The contrast between responsible discourse and the media’s blame-assigning behavior continues to be a glaring issue in the American political landscape.
