CALMatters.org
California’s elected leaders — Republicans and Democrats alike — quickly condemned the attempted assassination of Trump, the latest violent turn in current politics and a grim reminder of America’s history of political killings.
Gov. Newsom promptly posted on social media that “violence has NO place in our democracy,” a reaction echoed by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.
Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher said in an initial statement that “we must completely shut down those who would use violence to snuff out their political opponents.” July 14, he followed up with a post asserting that “calling Trump a modern-day Hitler and making crazed assertions about the end of democracy has not been helpful to the chaos that we now find ourselves in.”
In a statement, Senate Republican leader Brian Jones urged “Americans to take a step back and acknowledge the need for common ground, rather than seeing politics as a polarizing exercise.”
And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband Paul was struck in the head with a hammer by an assailant in their San Francisco home, posted on social media: “I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.”
Saturday’s chilling incident comes at a key point in the 2024 presidential race.
Democrats have been divided over whether to rally behind Biden — or to find a way to push him off the 2024 ticket. Republicans, on the other hand, were already in lockstep behind Trump as they gather in Milwaukee to officially nominate him — and see him reveal his running mate.
California is sending the biggest delegation to the convention — and thanks to the state GOP changing its rules for a winner-take-all primary in March, all 169 are pledged to Trump. It’s only one sign of how firmly Trump controls the California party.
And while Biden — or any Democrat — is the odds-on favorite to secure California’s 54 electoral votes in November (of the 270 needed to win), Republicans hope Trump’s coattails and Biden’s troubles, fueled by his weak performance in the June 27 debate, will help them add to the dozen congressional seats they now hold (compared to 40 for Democrats).
“We resolve political differences at the ballot box, through activism and by participating in political discourse,” said California Secretary of State Shirley Weber in a statement. “There is absolutely no room for political violence.”