
A stark warning has been issued regarding the increasing political polarization in the United States, with a columnist arguing that Democrats’ harsh rhetoric against former President Donald Trump may be leading Americans to become desensitized to violence, including assassination attempts.
David Marcus, a columnist and author, highlighted the alarming shift in public reaction to the second assassination attempt on Trump during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” Comparing it to the first attempt, Marcus noted a troubling lack of public response.
“This time, nobody changed the TV channel. Nobody talked about it. It was palpable,” Marcus told Steve Doocy. “It was like nothing happened, and that was scary because when we get desensitized to these things, it can get really ugly, really fast.”
In his recent op-ed, Marcus emphasized how differently people reacted to the initial attempt on Trump’s life. “People stopped in their tracks” after the first attempt, he wrote, but when news of the second attempt emerged, some simply responded, “Are you surprised?”
“None of the networks cut away from the action for news coverage, my phone wasn’t blowing up with notifications, and my guess is that 90% of the people down on the floor of the casino, or in the sportsbook, had no idea anything had even happened,” Marcus continued in his column.
The disparity in reaction led Marcus to criticize the media and political figures, arguing that a similar attempt on Vice President Kamala Harris would have sparked widespread coverage and disruption. “We all know that if such an attempt had been made on Vice President Kamala Harris’ life, the games would not only have been cut away for the news, they’d likely have been suspended. But this is about more than media bias, it’s about social callousness,” he added.
The heated rhetoric surrounding Trump has drawn increasing scrutiny, with Democrats frequently labeling the former president as a “threat to democracy.” This language came under fire again after the second assassination attempt.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy questioned White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the continued use of such terminology in light of recent events. Doocy pressed, “How many more assassination attempts on Donald Trump until the president and the vice president, and you pick a different word to describe Trump other than threat?”
Jean-Pierre pushed back, saying, “I actually completely disagree with the premise of your question. The question that you’re asking… it is also incredibly dangerous in the way that you’re asking it because American people are watching.”
Further complicating the political discourse, Republicans have responded sharply to Democrats following the revelation that bomb threats against schools in Springfield, Ohio, were hoaxes originating from overseas. Initial reports had linked the threats to Republican rhetoric surrounding the Haitian migrant crisis.
At a press conference, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sought to clarify the situation. “Thirty-three threats; Thirty-three hoaxes,” DeWine announced. “I want to make that very, very clear. None of these had any validity at all.” While he confirmed the threats came from abroad, DeWine declined to specify the country responsible.
Marcus condemned the Democrats for what he viewed as rash assumptions and misinformation. “We now know that the bomb threats to the schools in Springfield, Ohio, were foreign hoaxes… We don’t know from what country because Governor DeWine won’t tell us, but these are most likely information operations meant to sow division. If so, well done.”
He continued, “It’s bad that Trump and [Senator] Vance are being absurdly blamed for Trump’s own assassination. It’s bad that the Democrats are very likely pushing an information operation, but the worst part of this is that the good people of Springfield, Ohio, who I just spent several days with, are being smeared as racist MAGA monsters who want to blow up schools.”
Marcus concluded with a call for accountability. “These people deserve an apology from the media, and they deserve an apology from Vice President Kamala Harris.”