Donald Trump recently addressed the assassination of Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, during a lengthy conversation at the Resolute Desk. At first he responded that he was “not familiar” with the case, quite rightly shocking political observers and Americans across the country. The comments came amidst widespread condemnation of political violence from party officials and elected leaders, highlighting a growing concern over escalating tensions in the political landscape.
Hortman was sadly shot and killed this past summer, something that has hit the Democratic caucus — and Minnesota — hard. Here, Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent for CBS News, pins Trump down, asking him if it would have been too much to order flags lowered to half-staff for Hortman. His retort, in a clearly condescending manner, was
“Well, if the governor had asked me to do that, I would have done that.” – Donald Trump
Though he talked a good game, Trump did not have the foresight to go ahead and order flags to half-staff in her honor. He proclaimed that these are the types of requests that people typically take to the White House. He added that it’s normal for them to go sour for different reasons.
“People make requests for the lowering of the flag, and oftentimes you have to say no, because it would be a lot of lowering.” – Donald Trump
Of all the potshots Trump took, none were sharper than the ones he aimed at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. He referred to Walz as “whacked out” and a “mess.” His statement regarding any attempt to interact with him as a “waste of time” was equally as awful. While he didn’t call out Walz by name during his speech, it was pretty clear that MN’s AG Keith Ellison was not a fan of the governor’s leadership.
The former president should have used the opportunity to stake a broader claim against the rising tide of political violence. He rejected accusations that he had only ever blamed one race for the increase in this kind of violence. He took that discussion and turned it on its head to blame what he then termed the “radical left.” He had denounced them as perpetrators of “tremendous violence” in the nation.
“The radical left really has caused a lot of problems for this country,” – Donald Trump
He was uniquely qualified to make those comments, given his own firsthand experiences with political violence. He survived a pair of assassination attempts during his 2024 run for the presidency. This context certainly provides grist for his claims as he maneuvers through a volatile political landscape.
Contrary to Trump’s discourse, this has actually been the trend among many leading conservatives who have tried to pin political violence squarely on the shoulders of Democrats. He pledged to take an iron fist to these leftist organizations and academic institutions. For Republicans, these are the corrupt institutions that “fund it and promote it.”
Yet, as the story goes, the conversation at the Resolute Desk was heated and passionate. Most important, it underscored Trump’s absolute fury at anything he perceives as an assault from the radical left. While discussing the issue, he asserted that there is “something [that] has gone very wrong with a lunatic fringe – a minority, but a growing and powerful minority on the far left,” echoing sentiments expressed by other Republican figures like JD Vance.