Former First Lady Melania Trump sided with her husband on Wednesday, laying the blame for two assassination attempts on a media landscape she claimed is complicit in allegations from Democrats that former President Donald Trump is a “threat to democracy” who must be “extinguished.”
The former phrase was repeated by Ryan Wesley Routh, who attempted to shoot and kill Trump at his Florida golf course on September 15th, while the latter was made earlier this week by Biden commerce secretary Gina Raimondo. Both are examples of rhetoric that Melania said are motivating Trump critics to grow increasingly violent. “It’s interesting how quiet everything became, all of the mainstream media. There were a few days reporting about July 13th event, and everything then became quiet,” she told Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt.
“I had a lot of questions,” Melania continued. “What’s going on? This is not normal. And, is it really shocking that all this egregious violence goes against my husband? Especially that we hear the leaders from the opposition party and mainstream media branding him as a threat to democracy, calling him vile names. They’re only fueling a toxic atmosphere and giving power to all of these people that want to do harm to him. This needs to stop. This needs to stop. The country needs to unite, and I encourage everybody to read my letter on July 14th again, because that cannot continue.”
The former first lady has been outspoken following the July 13th attack on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, issuing a rare public statement calling on Americans to unite and tone down divisive rhetoric that she blamed for inspiring the gunman. “Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now. This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends,” she wrote the next day. “We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again. I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans. The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”
Just five days prior to the second attempt on Trump’s life, Melania released a video questioning why the FBI and other federal investigators had failed to turn up a motive for the July 13th shooting. “The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience. Now, the silence around it feels heavy,” she told X followers in a direct-to-camera video. “I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to the story, and we need to uncover the truth.”
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