Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki found herself in hot water after she called for Republicans to tone down their rhetoric following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The incident took place Saturday evening when a gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, grazed Trump's ear, killed one spectator, and injured two others before being shot dead by a Secret Service agent.
Trump's family and supporters were outraged, criticizing the media for downplaying the severity of the attack. On Sunday, Psaki's appearance on Meet the Press added fuel to the fire when she suggested that Republicans need to calm their tone to prevent further violence.
"One thing for all of us to remember is it may not feel paused tomorrow or Tuesday. And part of that is because the convention is starting, and unless the programming changes, the rhetoric and how the programming is set up is not actually calming the tone or restoring civility," Psaki said. "We'll see if that programming changes, but if it stays the same, that is escalating it. It is not a civil approach to a convention."
Her comments quickly sparked backlash on social media. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, "Jen Psaki said the Repubs have created a 'tone,' but it is Biden & Dems who have called Trump a Nazi, a rapist, a felon, a terrorist. They have called MAGA supporters domestic terrorists & cult members. Biden promised unity but instead incited violence & division. GO TO HELL."
Psaki then tried to center the discussion on the need for everyone with a platform to avoid inflammatory language. "For anyone out there who has a platform who thinks the moment right now is to be political and attack the other party—you are feeding into the danger. You are making it more likely there's retaliation. I'm incredibly scared. I'm scared for journalists. I'm scared for people who have public platforms of all parties," she added.
Right-wing commentator Stephen Miller responded harshly, saying, "She just all lives mattered an assassination attempt on the Republican nominee." Other critics lambasted media outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and NBC for their coverage, accusing them of downplaying the violence and mischaracterizing the events.
CNN was particularly targeted for its headline, "Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally," which omitted the mention of the shooting. The New York Times faced criticism for running an opinion piece titled "Donald Trump Is Unfit To Lead" the morning after the attack, alongside an image of Trump with blood on his face and an ominous silhouette.
Donald Trump Jr. also voiced his outrage, sharing a clip from CNN where correspondent Jamie Gangel mentioned Trump's call to "fight, fight, fight" moments after being shot. "Someone attempted to assassinate my father tonight and this is what CNN is focused on. These people are vile," Trump Jr. tweeted.
The incident occurred just days before Trump was set to accept the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential race. The gunman, Crooks, was found to be a registered Republican who had donated to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on Biden's Inauguration Day in 2021.
In the wake of the shooting, President Biden was quickly brought back to the White House from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and he condemned the attack on X.