Trump blames Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for their ‘rhetoric’ that inspired ‘dangerous fools’ like Ryan Wesley Routh to assassinate him
Former President Donald Trump blames the “rhetoric” of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the second failed assassination attempt on him.
The former president spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday, a day after a gunman tried 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 shooter.
“Their rhetoric is getting me shot at, when I’m the one who’s going to save the country, and they’re the ones who are destroying the country — both inside and out,” Trump continued.
The Republican presidential candidate referred to Biden and Harris’ comments, accusing him of being a “threat to democracy,” claiming they are “people who want to destroy our country.”
Donald Trump on Saturday, September 14, a day before a second assassination attempt. The ex-president blamed Biden and Harris’ “rhetoric” for him being “shot at” in an interview
“It’s called the enemy within. They’re the real threat,” Trump said.
“They’re doing it with a combination of rhetoric and lawsuits that they’re wrapping me up in,” the Republican presidential candidate continued.
“These are the things that dangerous fools like the shooter listen to — that’s the rhetoric they listen to, and that includes the first one,” Trump added, referring to the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
In a separate post on Truth Social, the former president fiercely criticized Biden, Harris, last week’s presidential debate on ABC News and the lawsuits against him.
“This communist leftist rhetoric has bullets flying around your ears and it will only get worse!” he wrote.
Trump’s interview with Fox News Digital comes as Biden makes his first public comments on the attempted assassination on Monday morning.
President Biden told reporters Monday that Trump is “thank God” OK and argued that 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 doing well.”
He also said he wants to make one thing clear: “The Secret Service needs more help.” Biden added that he believes “Congress needs to respond to their needs.”
Biden said the Secret Service is deciding whether it needs more personnel.
In a statement on Sunday, the president praised 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 any violence, in our country,” Biden continued in his statement.
The vice president and Democratic presidential candidate has not yet spoken publicly about the shooting, but she did issue a statement on Sunday.
“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt on former President Trump today,” she said. “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We must all do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”
Harris said she is grateful that Trump is safe and praised the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “vigilance.”
The vice president noted Biden’s statement and promised: ““Our administration will ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities, and protections 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 shocked by the possible assassination attempt” and praised law enforcement. She also condemned political violence
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, made his initial appearance in federal court Monday, where he was charged with the first two counts. More charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Routh will appear in court in two weeks.
The Secret Service opened fire on Routh in West Palm Beach after seeing the barrel of his AK-47 stick through a fence at the Trump International Golf Club while the Republican candidate was playing a round of golf.
He was able to flee, but was arrested later on Sunday after a witness took a photo of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate.
Routh is charged with two counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for the first two charges.
Trump’s Truth Social post from Monday afternoon claiming ‘bullets are flying’
Ryan Wesley Routh, the gunman accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday, appeared in federal court Monday with his hands and feet in shackles. Pictured: Police released an image of Routh’s arrest Monday after he fled 50 miles from Trump International Golf Club
The gunman was standing two holes away from where Trump was golfing Sunday when Secret Service shots were fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and has the most “vulnerabilities,” according to those familiar with the situation.
Routh self-published a book last year in which he shared some of his own political philosophies.
“I’m so tired of people asking me if I’m a Democrat or a Republican because I refuse to be pigeonholed and have to answer independently. I think most intelligent people judge each situation on a case-by-case basis and vote solely on the merits of the candidate and not on party or group basis,” he wrote.
Routh’s social media posts show that his political leanings have changed dramatically. At one point, he seemed to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders. But at another point, he even backed Trump.
Earlier this year, he made it clear in a message that he had turned against the former president.
“DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose,” he wrote on X in April.