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Sunday, July 14, 2024

Hello from a dark weekend in America, where a would-be assassin tried to kill Donald Trump at a political rally, leaving the former president bloodied and placing an ugly mark on the nation's history. This is a special edition on the disturbing moment we find ourselves in and its consequential aftermath.

THE A1

The Blood and the Blame

CNN Photo Illustration/Evan Vucci/AP

Moments after Donald Trump was rushed to safety following a failed assassination attempt at a Saturday night rally, some of his supporters turned toward the press pen with obscenities as they fingered reporters for blame.

"This is your fault!" one attendee emphatically yelled, pointing at individual journalists as he approached the fence line separating them from attendees. "This is your fault!"

"It is your fault!" exclaimed another.

Axios reporter Sophia Cai, who quoted some in the crowd warning the press that they are "next" and that their "time is coming," even reported that a few rally goers tried to breach the barriers establishing the press pen, but that they were stopped by security personnel.

In the immediate wake of the horrific shooting attempt on Trump's life, which resulted in the tragic death of one rally attendee and the severe wounding of two others, the news media has quickly emerged among some Trump supporters as a body to assign blame.

While the Trump campaign urged its staff to "condemn all forms of violence" and said it "will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media," some of the former president's supporters in MAGA Media vehemently assailed the press for its hard-knuckled reporting on Trump, which has sounded the alarm on what four more years under the former president would look like.

Over the course of the campaign cycle, news organizations have, among other things, reported at length on Trump's plans to warp the federal government for his own ends, including to seek vengeance against his political opponents. That reporting is now facing scrutiny, with some Trump supporters blaming it for producing a charged atmosphere that gave way to the assassination attempt, while mostly looking past the incendiary rhetoric of the former president himself.

Immediately after the attack, top figures across the news media condemned the shooting, underscoring that violence against a political candidate is an attack on democracy itself. Top liberal commentators also expressed their disgust in strong terms. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, the country's most recognized liberal personality, said she did not "have adequate words to describe how disgusted and horrified" she was.

"There is no *no* *no* *no* violent solution to any American political conflict," Maddow wrote on Threads. "I am grateful the former president is going to be ok, and miserably sad and angry about the other people hurt and killed. This is a very dark day."

The reaction from the press and liberal media figures stood in stark contrast to how right-wing media personalities have responded in the aftermath of attacks on Democrats. Instead of raising the volume or fanning the flames of false flag conspiracy theories, which top figures on the right have done after attacks on Paul Pelosi and Gabrielle Giffords, they urged for calm.

Nevertheless, the anti-press attitude in MAGA circles has unquestionably increased. Despite the accuracy of the news media's reporting on Trump, supporters of the former president have moved to vilify and scapegoat journalists for the heinous attack, sending anti-media attitudes to alarming heights.

"On a daily basis, MSNBC tells its audience that Trump is a threat to democracy, an authoritarian in waiting, and a would-be dictator if no one stops him," conservative radio host Erick Erickson wrote on X. "What did they think would happen?"

Donald Trump Jr. blasted CNN, The Washington Post, and the press at large for recent coverage of his father.

"Dems and their friends in the media knew exactly what they were doing with the 'literally Hitler' bullshit!," he wrote on X.

With just over 100 days until the November elections, the inflamed disposition toward the press has prompted cause for concern among news executives and spurred discussion inside newsrooms about safety and security precautions — especially with the Republican National Convention set to start on Monday. That four-day event, which was already a security concern prior to the assassination attempt, will bring together scores of journalists, alongside thousands of Trump supporters.

"Journalists are always among the very first to run towards a crisis, and we collectively are working in overdrive to keep everyone safe," one news executive told me. "That is the absolute top priority."

THE AFTERMATH

"Broadcast networks jumped in with special reports minutes after the event unfolded," Alex Weprin reported. (THR)
Television news outlets also "quickly reworked" their Sunday schedules to continue carrying live breaking reports of the assassination attempt to viewers, Brian Steinberg reported. (Variety)
Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, who snapped the image that will go down in history of a bloodied and defiant Trump raising his fist after the attempt on his life, spoke to Corbin Bolies about the moment: "It's a moment in history that you have to document, right? Being a photographer, you have to, have to be there. I can't write about it later... So you have to do your job." (Daily Beast)
The NYT's Doug Mills, who captured an astonishing photo of what appeared to be a bullet whizzing past Trump's head, recounted the scene: "All of a sudden, there was what I thought were three or four loud pops. At first I thought it was a car. The last thing I thought was it was a gun. I kept taking pictures. He went down behind the lectern, and I thought, 'Oh my God, something's happened.'" (NYT)
CNN reporter Alayna Treene, who was at the Saturday rally, recounted the scene to Kasie Hunt: "It was absolute pandemonium." (CNN)
Joe Biden, denouncing the attack on Trump as "sick," suspended all his television advertisements. (CNN)
Jake Tapper closed "State of the Union" with an essay on political violence and the sad fact that it keeps happening in America: "We urge in the strongest possible terms that this election, and all our political differences, must be determined by ballots and votes — not by bullets. And that this rhetoric of dehumanization stop. 'Political violence has no place in America?' I wish that were true." (Mediaite)
"The attempted assassination of Donald Trump should be a wake-up call. We are not collectively to blame for the actions of someone so disturbed that he would attempt this psychotic act, but none of us are vindicated by it, either," Noah Rothman wrote. (National Review)
Sean Hannity reacted as he hosted Fox News' special coverage, calling the assassination attempt "chilling" and saying it should "transcend all politics." (YouTube)
Chris Hayes: "Just a horrible and horrifying night in America. Political violence is both morally wrong and also poison to the project of democracy, the non-violent resolution of social conflict. We must affirm our commitment to our shared civic creed now more than ever. Hoping for the swift recovery of the former president and holding the other victims in my thoughts." (Threads)
While news outlets declined to play into conspiracy theories after the attack, they still swirled online. "Conspiracy theories swell[ed] around false flags, Deep State, Biden and the Secret Service, filling the information vacuum as consumers choose their own reality," Sarah Ellison, Cat Zakrzewski, and Clara Ence Morse report. (WaPo)
Elon Musk officially threw his support behind Trump: "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." (CNBC)
Big Tech leaders — including Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai — condemned the attack. (Business Insider)

SUNDAY FRONT PAGES

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email. You can follow us on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.

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