RHETORIC AND THE TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man named Thomas Matthew Crooks, according to the FBI. News reports say Crooks had registered to vote as a Republican but also gave $15 to the anti-Trump group Progressive Turnout Project. Obviously, there is more to learn about him and his motives.

Among the many issues that will prompt discussion in the coming days is the role incendiary rhetoric played, or did not play, in the attempted assassination. The most prominent recent example of that rhetoric, specifically aimed at Trump, came from President Joe Biden. The president, of course, has been trying to deflect attention from his infirmities after the disastrous June 27 debate with Trump. Last Monday, during a private call with donors, he said, “We’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”