There is no place for violent extremism in the United States of America: The type of vitriolic hatred that inspired a young man to attempt to murder Donald Trump on July 13, 2024 should never find a voice in the marketplace of political discourse. It is imperative that all Americans reject the pockets of hatred that seem to thrive on both extreme ends of the political spectrum.
I am a lifelong democrat who categorically rejects the extremist hatred of Hamas. The peaceful George Floyd protests that took place in the summer of 2020 had my support. The demonstrations that exploded into violence left me with a deep feeling of Heidegger style angst. In the summer of 2020, “peaceful protesters” completely destroyed a strip mall that exists about a mile away from my home in Santa Monica. I have no tolerance for the violent demonstrations that took place throughout our nation in the summer of 2020.
On his July 15 broadcast, Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld blamed the Trump assassination attempt on harsh criticism that has been directed towards the former President by Joe Biden and other democrats. Gutfeld highlighted this statement that was made by Biden in 2024: “Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. He is a threat to our freedom. He’s literally a threat to everything America stands for.” Gutfeld concluded that this brand of criticism provided an impetus for the assassination attempt that took place on July 13.
Greg Gutfeld has conveniently ignored the fact that on January 6, 2021
thousands of radical supporters of Donald Trump invaded our nation’s Capital building. On that day one hundred and forty law enforcement officers were injured and the mob collectively threatened to murder the Vice-President (“Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence.”). In early 2021, key GOP members of Congress condemned Donald Trump for his failure to deal with the violence on January 6.
On February 13, 2021 current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said these words about the former President: “There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for the events of the day.” In January of 2021 former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy condemned Donald Trump in no uncertain terms: “The President bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters.”
On January 6, Donald Trump went for more than three hours doing nothing to stop the violence. He spent the entire time watching the chaos on TV in a White House dining room. Speaking as an eyewitness, Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham has reported that Trump was “gleeful” as he watched the violence unfold. “They’re fighting for me.” he kept saying, according to Grisham.
“They’re fighting for me.”
As Greg Gutfeld has correctly condemned the political excesses of the far left, he has ignored the extremist voices that exist in his own political party. In a speech given in Columbus Georgia in June of 2023, Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake said these words to her audience: “I have a message for Merrick Garland and Jack Smith and Joe Biden. If you want to get to Donald Trump you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through seventy-five million Americans just like me. And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card carrying members of the National Rifle Association. That’s not a threat. That’s a public service announcement.” Her physical appearance suggests that she is the
“girl next door”. Actually, Kari Lake is the Ma Barker of the GOP.
In December of 2022, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said these words about the January 6 attack on the Capital: “If Steve Bannon and I had organized that we would have won, not to mention it would have been armed.” Both of these women were greeted as honored guests at the 2024 Republican convention.
Greg Gutfeld is no stranger to extremist rhetoric. In October of 2023 Gutfeld stated on “The Five” that the left was doing a terrible job of dealing with our nation’s crime problem. His proposed solution was to engage in a civil war with the democratic party. To quote: “We went to war over slavery. Doesn’t it feel that way now? It leaves you with a need to make war to bring peace. In a way you need to force them to surrender.” When his cohosts suggested that ballots were preferable to armed conflict, Gutfeld stated: “Elections don’t work. We know that.”
Greg Gutfeld has given up on democracy. He believes that the only way to deal with political opponents is to go to war. Can someone please find a parachute for this guy?
W. Palmer Riley