Trump’s Answer to Political Violence: More Hot Air

Donald Trump has faced multiple attempts on his life. Every one deserves unequivocal condemnation. Political violence has no place in a democracy, regardless of the victim or the attacker’s politics.

Yet Trump and his allies portray political violence as a problem of the left. The record tells a more complicated story. Research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that, over the long term, far-right extremists have been responsible for substantially more violence than the far left, even as left-wing attacks have risen in recent years.

Remember the attack on Paul Pelosi by a man seeking his wife, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And remember January 6, when Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

A president serious about lowering the temperature would condemn violence consistently and stop treating political opponents as enemies. Instead, Trump has pardoned January 6 defendants, including people who assaulted police. He continues to spread inflammatory rhetoric, demonizing immigrants, transgender people and other vulnerable groups.

And what has he done to address the conditions that can contribute to violence? Where is the commitment to better mental health care, strong schools, after-school programs and commonsense gun safety measures? His administration has proposed significant education cuts, while his approach to guns remains beholden to the gun lobby.

Political violence is a serious problem. It deserves more than selective outrage and another excuse to stoke fear. A president who demands an end to it should start by putting down the rhetorical matches.