Trump misses opportunity to soothe instead of inflame

By Ronald Brownstein / Bloomberg Opinion

Moments of tension and tragedy are when presidents usually try hardest to speak to, and for, the entire nation. But following the horrifying assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump on Wednesday responded with angry, divisive and conspiratorial remarks that captured his distorted view of the presidency.

Instead of trying to heal a country fractured by political violence, Trump once again demonstrated that he fundamentally views himself as the leader of a faction, not a nation. The president instinctively assumed the petty job of mobilizing his base for retribution against another group of Americans — the “radical left” — whose rhetoric he blamed, before anything was known about the shooter’s identity or motives, for the murder and for political violence in general:

For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.

My Administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-trump-misses-opportunity-to-soothe-instead-of-inflame/