"Now fast-forward to last week and the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah. Since that horrific assassination, the United States has been pushed to the edge with fears of more political violence. At such a critical time, many Americans looked to President Donald Trump to tamp down such anxieties. The president, in a national address, called it a "dark moment for America.""
""Then," Peter Baker of The New York Times wrote, "he tossed the playbook aside, angrily blaming the murder on the American left and vowing revenge." Later, Trump went on Fox News and was reminded that radicals exist on the right as well as the left. To which Trump said, "The radicals on the left are the problem. And they're vicious. And they're horrible.""
Americans observed the Sept. 11 anniversary with television specials recalling the attacks and the leadership of President George W. Bush. The recent killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah sparked fears of additional political violence. Many sought reassurance from President Donald Trump, who called the episode a "dark moment for America" in a national address but then blamed the American left and vowed revenge. On Fox News he labeled left-wing radicals the problem. He sometimes urged nonviolent responses, but those messages were often lost amid his broader rhetoric, which rarely emphasizes healing and can elevate polarization.
Read at Poynter
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