Trump blames Harris and Biden’s ‘rhetoric’ for assassination try
Former President Donald Trump is blaming President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris‘ ‘rhetoric’ for the second failed assassination attempt on his life.
The ex-president spoke with Fox News Digital on Monday, a day after a gunman attempted to shoot him at his golf course in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump, 78, said the would-be assassin believed the rhetoric of his political rivals.
‘He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,’ Trump said of the gunman.
‘Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,’ Trump continued.
The GOP presidential nominee pointed to Biden and Harris’ comments accusing him of being a ‘threat to democracy’ and claimed they are ‘people that want to destroy our country.’
Donald Trump on Saturday, September 14, one day before a second assassination attempt. The ex-president in an interview blamed the ‘rhetoric’ of Biden and Harris for causing him to ‘be shot at’
‘It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat,’ Trump said.
‘They do it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits they wrap me up in,’ the Republican nominee went on.
‘These are the things that dangerous fools, like the shooter, listen to — that is the rhetoric they listen to, and the same with the first one,’ Trump added noting the attempt on his life in Butler, PA in July.
In a separate Truth Social post, the ex-president blasted Biden, Harris, last week’s ABC News presidential debate and the lawsuits against him.
‘Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!’ he wrote.
Trump’s interview with Fox News Digital comes as Biden made his first public remarks on the assassination attempt Monday morning.
President Biden speaking to reporters on Monday said ‘thank god’ Trump is ok and argued the U.S. Secret Service ‘needs more help’
Speaking to reporters outside the White House before departing on Marine One, Biden said ‘thank god the president is ok.’
He also said the one thing he wants to make clear is ‘the Secret Service needs more help.’ Biden added that he thinks ‘Congress should respond to their needs.’
Biden said the Secret Service is deciding whether they need more personnel.
In a statement on Sunday, the president commended the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement and said he was ‘relieved that the former President is unharmed.’
‘As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country,’ Biden continued in his statement.
The vice president and Democratic presidential nominee has yet to speak publicly on the shooting, but she also released a statement on Sunday.
‘I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,’ she said. ‘As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.’
Harris said she is thankful Trump is safe and also commended the Secret Service and law enforcement for their ‘vigilance.’
The vice president noted Biden’s statement and vowed ‘our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.’
Vice President Kamala Harris on September 13. In a statement on Sunday, the vice president said she was ‘deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt’ and praised law enforcement. She also condemned political violence
58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh made his first appearance in federal court on Monday where he faced the first two charges. More charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Routh will face an arraignment in two weeks.
Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after they spotted the muzzle of his AK-47 poking through a fence at Trump International Golf Club while the Republican nominee was playing a round.
He was able to flee the scene but was arrested later on Sunday after a witness took a picture of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate number.
Routh is charged on two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He is facing up to 20 years for the initial two charges.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Monday afternoon claiming ‘bullets are flying’
Ryan Wesley Routh, the gunman accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday, appeared in federal court appearance with his hands and feet in shackles on Monday. Pictured: Police released on Monday an image of Routh’s arrest after he was able to flee 50 miles from Trump International Golf Club
The gunman was positioned two holes ahead of where Trump was golfing on Sunday when Secret Service shots were fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and present the most ‘vulnerabilities,’ according to those familiar
Routh self-published a book last year where he shared some of his own political philosophy.
‘I get so tired of people asking me if I am a Democrat or a Republican as I refuse to be put in a category and I must always answer independent and I think that most intelligence people judge every situation case by case and vote solely on the merit of the candidate and not about parties or groups,’ he wrote.
Routh’s social media posts show his political leaning shifted dramatically. At one point he appeared to support Senator Bernie Sanders. But at another point, he even supported Trump.
Earlier this year, a post made clear he had turned on the former president.
‘DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,’ he wrote in April on X.
