President Joe Biden finally condemned the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. However, now it is crucial that Democratic officials and their liberal media allies cease their constant exaggerations and doomsday prophecies, which only serve to exacerbate the already volatile political climate.
For instance, just days ago, official Biden campaign social media accounts shared a disturbing image from The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian series depicting a totalitarian regime, and implied that this was a possible fate for America under a second Trump term. Biden himself has repeatedly declared that Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, a claim that is both unfounded and inflammatory.
Left-leaning media outlets have engaged in even more extreme rhetoric. MSNBC anchor Nicole Wallace suggested, without evidence, that if Trump wins, her show will be taken off the air and the free press in America will cease to exist. Another MSNBC anchor, Joy Reid, recently described a second Trump term as “Hitler in the White House.” The New Republic even featured a cover story likening Trump to Hitler.
These are just a few examples of the countless doomsday warnings about Trump that have been uttered by the left-of-center establishment over the past few weeks. While there are undoubtedly legitimate criticisms to be made of Trump, these hyperbolic claims are entirely detached from reality, given that we already had one Trump presidency and none of these dire predictions came to pass.
It is crucial to recognize that rhetoric has consequences, and when we spread false and inflammatory information, we create an environment in which violence and chaos can flourish. The motivations of the shooter are still unknown, but it is possible that they were inspired by the constant alarmist warnings about Trump’s supposed malevolence.
While only the shooter bears ultimate responsibility for their actions, it is reasonable to hold people in positions of influence accountable for the rhetoric they employ. By the same standards that liberals and progressives often apply to conservatives, it is fair to accuse them of having “blood on their hands” if their words contribute to the kind of political violence we saw on Saturday night.
Yes, Republicans have also engaged in alarmist rhetoric, and they would do well to tone down their divisive language. However, in recent political history, liberals and progressives have been far more prone to fearmongering and doomsday predictions.
