Former President Donald Trump was wounded, one civilian was killed, and multiple people were injured when a gunman opened fire on the Republican presidential nominee's outdoor rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday.
“The party of ‘tolerance, equity, and inclusion’ is responsible for an attempted assassination on a Presidential candidate,” Tennessee’s House Republican Caucus chair Jeremy Faison posted on X shortly after the shooting. “THIS is what’s on the ballot this November. Do you want to live in a world where you may get shot for your beliefs, or one that puts our country first and unifies us?”
House Majority Leader William Lamberth posted, "There is no way some idiot liberal with a gun will stop [Trump]. Our prayers are with you Mr. President."
Around the same time, Democratic state Rep. Antonio Parkinson of Memphis posted, “I certainly hope this is not a staged act. But...🙄” His statement drew condemnation from Republicans.
Two hours later Parkinson posted: “Unfortunately, we live in a sad reality that America has become so divided that someone would resort to such a violent act. But are we really surprised? There is absolutely nothing good that can come out of this.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, who has been endorsed by Trump, called the former president “an American hero,” adding, “This is a dark day in American history.” Tennessee’s U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, meanwhile, criticized remarks made by President Joe Biden days before the shooting — the president reportedly told private donors, “We’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.” Republicans have also pounced on the president's statement that Trump is a “genuine threat to this nation,” arguing that the rhetoric incited the shooting. Biden has since said "it was a mistake" to use the word "bullseye."
Indicted former president rails against ‘the communists and the freaks’ at Christian media convention
Trump has a long history of inflammatory rhetoric, including telling his supporters in 2016 that he would pay their legal fees if they punched protesters and encouraging his followers’ actions on Jan. 6, 2021. That day saw thousands of MAGA faithful assault the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 election. In December of last year, Trump said he would only “abuse power as retribution” and be a “dictator” on the first day of his presidency, if reelected. “After that, I’m not a dictator,” Trump said.
In February, Trump spoke in Nashville, where he referred to President Biden and his cabinet and supporters as "evil people" who he called a "threat to democracy."
Local Campaign Reactions
Saturday’s shooting sent shockwaves across the political spectrum and has sparked new fears of widespread political violence ahead of the November general election. But in Tennessee, it appears the incident will do little to change how candidates are conducting their campaigns. Williamson County Commission Chair Brian Beathard, who is running in the Republican primary for state House District 65, expressed his condolences to everyone affected by Saturday's attack, but also said, “We will not allow this act of terrorism to alter our campaign in any way.”
State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), who is running against Blackburn for a U.S. Senate seat, is currently on a 95-county tour of the state. She says that while she and her staff are “cautious,” she will continue campaigning without interruption or change.
“We're going to continue and not curtail meetings with Tennessee citizens at all because it's their right to be able to talk to candidates that want to represent them,” Johnson says. “If we all are talking to people and not at them, and if we watch the language that we use, and [if] leaders in Tennessee use language that unites us rather than divides us, we can all campaign safely.”
Nazis in Nashville’s Streets
Members of far-right hate group Patriot Front were seen marching through Nashville on Saturday
Political violence obviously isn't new in America, and one day after the assassination attempt, political discourse remained tense. Sunday in Nashville, a neo-Nazi group took to the streets, shouting racist and antisemitic statements and entering an altercation with a local man. Police identified the arrested neo-Nazi as 29-year-old Ryan Scott McCann of Ontario, Canada. McCann was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly struck the Nashvillian in the face and ribs with a flagpole displaying a swastika flag.
State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) said the group “came to Nashville looking to incite violence.” She has organized community resources to “#FightLikeHell to ensure that Nashville remains a place where everyone feels safe and valued.”
“Since the [start of the] Trump era, there has been a heightened awareness as to the opportunity for violence, especially when [extremist] groups congregate here,” Behn says.
This is the second week in a row that white nationalists have targeted Nashville, after the group Patriot Front marched through the city on July 6. That display also earned condemnation from Tennessee officials including Gov. Bill Lee.
Tennessee is no stranger to white supremacy or political violence. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, and Nashville was the site of numerous instances of racial violence throughout the civil rights movement.
