We should all be disturbed about the recent Trump assassination attempt however seeing the calls from conservatives for liberals to tone down their rhetoric is remarkable. Where were these calls from conservatives when Trump was leading chants of lock her up?- in reference to Hillary Clinton Where were these calls from conservatives as people at Trump rallies were chanting, “lock her up?”

Where was the outrage from conservatives when Trump claimed that Liz Cheney and other conservatives should go to jail? He claimed early in July of 2024 that there should be a televised military tribunal for Liz Cheney. He has repeatedly discussed prosecuting his political rivals.

Yes, people can reasonably be disturbed about the assassination attempt, but let’s not pretend he has not contribute more to this political polarization than anyone else. Here is what Sam Harris had to say about the event.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s events, we must hold three truths in mind simultaneously: The first is that political violence, of any kind, is horrific and obscene. Despite the widespread moral confusion evident on social media, the attempted assassination of former President Trump was simply a tragedy for our country. And in response to this truth, we must do whatever we can to restore civility and basic decency to our politics.

But there is a second truth, now all but unutterable, and it is this: No one has done more to destroy civility and basic decency in our politics than Donald Trump. No one, in fact, has done more to increase the threat of political violence. Unlike any president in modern history, Trump brings out the worst in both his enemies and his friends. His influence on American life seems almost supernaturally pernicious.

The problem for Democrats is that any observation of this second truth—a truth that seems likely to darken and expand in the aftermath of yesterday’s attack—will now be condemned as rancorous and immoral—or worse, as an incitement to further political violence. Every necessary criticism of Trump’s authoritarianism, fondness for dictators, fraudulence, personal corruption, hostility to the rule of law, and fathomless dishonesty—will be mistaken for (or cynically construed as) a symptom of the very political disease we must cure. Telling the truth about the actual risks that Trump and Trumpism still pose to our democracy just became much more difficult.

He brings up a good point that this event will make it more difficult for individuals to criticize Trump, regardless of the truth of those criticisms.