[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5324-H5325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEMOCRATS' RHETORIC AND SECOND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Ohio). The Chair recognizes 
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the left's 
dangerous rhetoric that has led to two assassination attempts on 
President Trump in 2 months.
  First and foremost, I would like to thank all the law enforcement 
officers who fearlessly prevented a second utter catastrophe from 
taking place this past Sunday. I am also thankful for God's continued 
hand of protection over President Trump.
  However, I am deeply disturbed that within a 64-day span, President 
Trump has seen an assassin's attempt to take his life not once but 
twice. After the first horrifying attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, many 
Americans asked for politicians and media pundits alike to turn down 
the temperature of their political rhetoric. Yet given the continued 
targeting of President Trump's life, it is evident that many on the 
left have not stopped spewing hateful speech and malicious lies.
  For years, we have heard rhetoric from the radical left that goes 
well beyond policy disagreement and crosses into dangerous territory. 
Think about all the times liberal figures have erroneously labeled 
Trump as Hitler, or the biggest threat to democracy, or a dictator who 
must be stopped.
  Now we are seeing the tragic results of that false rhetoric. 
President Trump has faced not one, but two assassination attempts.
  This isn't a partisan issue. This is about the safety of our leaders, 
the stability of our Republic, and the rule of law. Yet disturbingly, 
we have seen numerous Democrats and the leftwing media blame these 
attempts on President Trump himself. This level of victim blaming isn't 
just ghoulish. It is a sinister attempt to normalize this senseless 
violence and to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing.
  There are still many unknowns about both of these attacks, and while 
I certainly have concerns and questions about the obvious security 
failures that have taken place, I can't silently sit by as the left, 
including many of my Democratic colleagues, take no accountability for 
their incendiary rhetoric and shameless lies that undoubtedly have 
played a part in inspiring the assassination attempts on President 
Trump.
  Since the liberal media won't hold them accountable, I will.
  Here are examples of the left's violence inciting and dangerous 
rhetoric.
  Vice President Kamala Harris: ``Trump is a threat to our democracy 
and fundamental freedoms.''
  Again, she says: ``It's on us to recognize the threat [Trump] 
poses.''
  Governor Tim Walz said: ``Are [Republicans] a threat to democracy? 
Yes. Are they going to put peoples' lives in danger? Yes.''
  Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: Trump is ``a threat to our 
democracy of the kind that we have not seen.''
  Jasmine Crockett said: ``MAGA in general, they are threats to us 
domestically.''
  Representative Dan Goldman said: He is a threat to our democracy, 
and, ``He has to be eliminated.''
  Representative   Steve Cohen said: ``Trump is an enemy of the United 
States.''
  Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz said: Trump is ``an 
existential threat to our democracy.''
  Representative Adam Schiff said: Trump is ``the gravest threat to our 
democracy.''
  Representative   Gregory Meeks said: ``Trump cannot be President 
again. He is an existential threat to our democracy.''

[[Page H5325]]

  Representative Abigail Spanberger said: ``Trump is a threat to our 
democracy. . . . The threats to our democratic Republic are real.''
  Representative Mike Levin said: ``Donald Trump is a threat to our 
Nation, our freedom, and our democracy.''
  Representative Eric Sorensen said: ``He is the greatest threat to law 
and order we have in our country today.''
  Representative Jake Auchincloss said: ``What unifies us as a party is 
knowing that Donald Trump is an existential threat to democracy.''
  Yesterday, just 2 days after the second assassination attempt, White 
House Press Secretary KJP said: ``President Biden has been clear-eyed 
about the threat that the former President represents to our 
democracy.''
  Seriously?
  She just couldn't stop herself and had to join in.
  Moreover, let's not forget President Biden who said: It is ``time to 
put Trump in a bull's-eye.''
  President Biden has also said: ``I mean this from the bottom of my 
heart, Trump is a threat to this Nation.'' As well as: ``Donald Trump 
is a genuine threat to this Nation.''
  ``He's literally a threat for everything this America stands for.''
  For the last 9 years, the left erroneously labeled Trump as a racist, 
a Fascist, and an existential threat to our democracy. They have 
encouraged protests, approved of violent rhetoric, and, in some cases, 
refused to condemn violent actions. They have made it acceptable to 
view someone with opposing political beliefs not as a fellow American 
but as an enemy to be destroyed.
  Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is when you constantly tell people that 
our democracy is in existential danger because of one man, and when you 
label that man a threat to the very fabric of our country, then you 
should take some responsibility and not be surprised when unhinged 
individuals take matters into their own hands.
  Words have power, and Democrats have recklessly used that power for 
nefarious political gain, no matter the cost. We, as a nation, must be 
better than this.
  I have six words for my Democrat colleagues: Stop it and stop it now.

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