Trump attack raises specter of violence

WASHINGTON — In a country already on edge, the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has raised fears of further political violence in the run-up to the Nov 5 election.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday urged citizens to reject political violence and recommit themselves to resolving their differences peacefully as Trump arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.

The US is embroiled in the most sustained spate of political violence since a decade of upheaval that began in the late 1960s, Reuters reported, citing a report published last year.

The shooting came at a time when the United States was so polarized that 47 percent of US citizens considered a second civil war likely or very likely in their lifetime, The New York Times commented.

Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on domestic terrorism, said, "The warning lights have been blinking red regarding violence in this election cycle for months, if not years now."

After the shooting, both Biden and Trump called for unity in the face of the situation.

The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect and said the shooting was being investigated as an attempted assassination.

Biden delivered a televised address from the Oval Office in the White House on Sunday.

"There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever. Period. No exceptions," he said. "The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It's time to cool it down."

Trump said in a post on Sunday on his social media platform Truth Social, "In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United."

Megan McBride, a research analyst on domestic and international terrorism, said US leaders have a brief window to cool partisan hatred before a retaliatory cycle emerges.

Research shows that support for political violence increases when people believe the other side supports it, said McBride, a senior research scientist with the Institute for Public Research at CNA, a nonprofit that studies security issues.

Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls including by Reuters/Ipsos. The shooting on Saturday whipsawed around the presidential campaign, which had been focused on whether Biden, 81, should drop out following a halting debate performance last month.

Trump in May was found guilty of engaging in covering up an affair with an adult movie star, a conviction that did little to alter the race and suggested supporters of both sides remain entrenched in their positions.

Biden has dealt with a debate within his own party over whether he should step down as the Democratic candidate because of concerns that he is no longer fit for the job. He says his doctors have told him he is in good shape.

The shooting took place in the election battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Biden beat Trump in 2020 by a narrow margin, and the incident could be especially impactful, according to some political strategists.

In the short term, the attack will likely boost Trump's appearances in Milwaukee this week at the Republican National Convention as he accepts his party's presidential nomination, fortifying the sense of grievance and estrangement his supporters already feel toward the nation's political class, Reuters reported.

Many voters have already been alienated by both Biden and Trump. The chaos that surrounds the candidates may contribute to voters feeling that the nation's problems are unfixable and the gulf between the parties cannot be bridged.

US Representative Steve Scalise, a Republican who was shot at by a gunman in 2017, told Fox News that violent election rhetoric needed to stop.

Milwaukee appearance

Meanwhile, Trump arrived on Sunday in Milwaukee for the Republican convention. The first day of the convention is expected to focus on the economy despite the shooting, The Associated Press reported.

Activists gathering in Milwaukee say the assassination attempt on Trump will not affect their longstanding plans to demonstrate outside Fiserv Forum, the convention venue.

The largest expected demonstration was slated to start on Monday morning. The Coalition to March on the Republican National Convention, consisting largely of local groups, plans to protest for access to abortion rights, for immigrant rights, and against the conflict in Gaza, among other issues.

Agencies - Xinhua