The motivation of the gunman 20 Year old Thomas Matthew Crooks is not yet known.
"His assault came within the context of the biggest and most sustained increase in US political violence since the 1970s. Of 14 fatal political attacks since supporters of Trump stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, in which the perpetrator or suspect had a clear partisan leaning, 13 were rightwing assailants. One was on the left."
"Political leaders sought to douse the flames over the weekend. Biden, putting his campaign on pause, said such violence has no place in America and phoned his opponent."
"Trump used social media to call for Americans to “stand United” and show their “True Character”.
"But Trump has regularly used violent, degrading and even apocalyptic language with his followers, warning of a “bloodbath” if he is not elected and saying immigrants in the US illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country”. In the wake of the shooting, his advisers and allies flipped the script on Biden, suggesting that it was the demonisation of the Republican candidate that led to the assassination attempt.
"JD Vance, an Ohio senator widely tipped to be named as Trump’s running mate at this week’s convention, posted on X: “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
"Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina posted a similar message, while Mike Collins, a Republican congressman from Georgia, tweeted: “The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, PA, should immediately file charges against Joseph R Biden for inciting an assassination.”
The sycophantic righteous right fanning the flames of division and violence.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/14/trump-rally-shooting-campaign-rnc
