In a world that seems increasingly eager to turn every political soapbox into a battleground, the conversation has spiraled beyond the usual chatter into sheer chaos, and nowhere was this chaos more evident than at a recent event featuring President Trump and his highly regarded entourage. The vibrant ballroom that should have been a fortress of camaraderie and strategy instead nearly became a scene of mayhem. Despite the best efforts of the Secret Service, a fiendish plot nearly unfolded with its sinister aim aimed at none other than the President himself.
The political climate of the last two years has been marred by an increase in violence, both within the walls of our nation’s schools and now among those holding the highest offices. These recent threats against the President are a chilling reminder of just how hostile the political landscape has become. Armed with nothing but ice water running through his veins, President Trump coolly managed to focus on the aftermath, leaving others to question the security measures that should have kept danger at bay. How is it that a gathering of such importance devolved into a security spectacle with throngs of wannabe assassins lurking in Hilton backrooms, perhaps emboldened by an open bar?
For those who identify as seasoned in party planning logistics (though perhaps more practiced in backyard barbecues and Tupperware parties), it comes as a shock that the security brain trust couldn’t foresee such vulnerabilities at a venue open to the general merriment of non-invited hotel guests. Surely, one might think, when the likes of the President, Vice President, and various keyed-up cabinet members breathe the same rarefied air in a single room, it merits more than a brief once-over by security. Perhaps next time they’ll opt for an underground bunker over a hotel crown ballroom—less ambiance but decidedly more bulletproof.
The tension hardly dissipates from the scene at large. As we pause to shake our heads at the supposed infallibility of security detail, there lies an even darker undercurrent—namely, the rhetoric that emboldens such violence. The discourse we’ve seen spewed by certain public figures has emboldened radical elements, who are all too eager to inspire or engage in an attack. Yet, despite the clear threats and previous assassination attempts, some members of Congress still shy away from decrying the blatant peril directed squarely at President Trump. A rare spark of bipartisan cooperation appears only sporadically in the form of a courageous few, such as Marie Glucen Perez, daring to utter the painfully obvious: “Please stop trying to murder the president.”
President Trump’s detractors seem alarmingly careless about the consequences of their rhetoric. The reality is that as long as mainstream media persists in turning a blind eye to the violent sentiments simmering on the left, the drumbeat of political violence will continue. And without the commensurate uproar whenever conservative figures are targeted, it seems optimistic—one might even say naïve—to expect abrupt changes come the next Monday morning news parade. The price of silence is high, and for those who support President Trump, the hope of genuine peace in political discourse remains more distant than ever.
