memeorandum: An Expert on Political Violence Sees a Way Out of America's Crisis (Catherine Kim/Politico)

5:40 PM ET, July 14, 2024

Top Items:

Trump is injured but ‘fine’ after apparent assassination attempt leaves rally-goer and gunman dead — Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd. He quickly ducked behind the podium as agents from his protective detail rushed …

Ruth Ben-Ghiat / Lucid:

MAGA Narratives about the Trump Assassination Attempt — Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers. I am “on vacation” in Italy, but the dramatic news from the U.S. has drawn me back to the computer. — I am not going to comment on the facts of the attempted assassination …

Discussion: National Review

Edward Luce / Financial Times:

America is staring into the abyss — After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, an already existential election is now even more fraught — It is not just Donald Trump who dodged a bullet. Half an inch to the left and the cartridge that grazed Trump's ear would have turned him into a martyr.

Discussion: The Free Press, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones, Washington Post, IJR, Compact, RedState, Hartford Courant, Raw Story and Fox News

Catherine Kim / Politico:

An Expert on Political Violence Sees a Way Out of America's Crisis — Despite the bitter atmosphere, there are real ways to ease political tensions — The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump shocked the nation — but not everyone was totally surprised.

Discussion: Let's Address …, New York Post, The Intercept, The Moderate Voice and NBC News

New York Times:

The FBI Identifies Suspected Gunman in Trump Rally Shooting: What to Know — Authorities identified the gunman as a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, a town about an hour's drive from the site of the shooting. — The 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Semafor, TMZ.com, Raw Story, Politico, Washington Post, Mediaite, KFTC-TV, Washington Examiner and New York Post

Reuters:

Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected Trump rally shooter — The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in Saturday's attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally.

Discussion: ScheerPost.com, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Mediaite, USA Today, Washington Post, PolitiFact, New York Post, Michigan Advance, Axios, Power Line, The Root, TMZ.com, New Jersey Online, The Sun, Business Insider, Bloomberg and Rolling Stone

Sadie Gurman / Wall Street Journal:

Suspected Shooter Had Explosive Devices in His Car, Sources Say — Authorities found explosive devices in the car of the man who officials say tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump, according to people briefed on the investigation. — The car, which was driven by Thomas Matthew Crooks …

Discussion: The Free Press, New York Post, The Guardian, The Sun, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Florida Politics

Jessie Yeung / CNN:

FBI identifies Trump rally shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks — Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack against former US President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting.

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trumpism Must Be Defeated By Ballots, Not Bullets

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Reuters:
Trump shooting raises questions about security lapses

Discussion: USA Today, Fox News, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Guardian, NBC News, Task & Purpose, Axios, New York Daily News, The Sun, KFTC-TV, Washington Examiner and Politico

Victor Hagan / USA Today:
Sen. Tom Cotton says Republican convention will be the ‘safest place in America’

Discussion: CBS News

Politico:
Dems mute Trump criticism

Discussion: Washington Post, Delaware County Times, Palo Alto Online, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Raw Story, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, NBC News, Alaska Public Media, New York Times, Reuters and USA Today

Politico:
Trump rally shooting: Live updates and latest news

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press, KFTC-TV and Washington Times

Kenneth Niemeyer / Business Insider:
Police found explosives inside the car of suspected Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks

Discussion: USA Today, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Fox News and CBS News

CBS News:
Trump safe after rally shooting, says bullet struck his ear; gunman and audience member dead

NBC News:
Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man

Discussion: Telegraph, Raw Story, BBC, The Daily Beast, USA Today, Associated Press, Racket News, Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, Billboard, Washington Post, KGW-TV, PoliticusUSA, Axios, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Gateway Pundit and The American Conservative

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Trump shooting reignites lawmakers' fears of violence

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Semafor

Alexander Marrow / Reuters:
Russia accuses Biden administration of creating atmosphere for attack on Trump

Discussion: USA Today, Axios, Telegraph, The Daily Beast, Washington Times, Breitbart, RedState and Business Insider

Chloe Meley / Bloomberg:
Gunman in Trump Attack Is 20-Year-Old Pennsylvania Man

Discussion: HuffPost, New York Times, Associated Press, KGW-TV, USA Today, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Status Kuo, UPI, Shore News Network, New York Post, Washington Times, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News and Deadline

Andrew Solender / Axios:
House launches “full investigation” into Trump rally shooting

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Post, RedState, Bloomberg, USA Today, The Daily Signal, New York Times, Breitbart, Mediaite, Fox News, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times and American Greatness

Kadia Goba / Semafor:

Top Democratic strategist pushed reporters to consider ‘staged’ shooting — The Scoop — The top political adviser to Democratic mega-donor Reid Hoffman suggested that the attack on Donald Trump could have been “staged,” even as Hoffman was criticized for joking before Saturday's attack about Trump becoming a “martyr.”

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Puck, Mediaite, The Wrap, The Daily Caller and The Daily Signal, more at Techmeme »

Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:

Democrat push to replace Biden is ‘over’ after Trump assassination attempt, president's allies say: report — Biden's critics have lost ‘all momentum’ due to the attack — The effort to replace President Biden as the Democratic Party's 2024 nominee has lost all momentum and is essentially …

Discussion: CBS News, Axios, New York Post, RedState and Breitbart

New York Times:

Live Updates: Biden to Speak to Nation on Failed Assassination Attempt on Trump — The authorities identified the slain gunman and the spectator he killed in the attack Saturday on former President Donald J. Trump at a Pennsylvania rally. Explosive material was said to have been found …

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Shooting Plunges an Already Tumultuous Campaign Into Shock and Uncertainty

Discussion: USA Today, ABC News, Washington Times, Rolling Stone, The Federalist, The Guardian, New York Post, The Wrap, Jacobin, al.com, Associated Press, Semafor, NBC News, Reuters and Politico

Politico:
Biden condemns Trump assassination try as ‘contrary to everything we stand for’

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Examiner, Roll Call, Associated Press and The Guardian

CBS News:
Trump maintains edge over Biden in battleground states on eve of GOP convention, CBS News poll finds

Discussion: NBC News, Politico and Washington Post

Washington Post:
Misinformation spreads swiftly in hours after Trump rally shooting

Discussion: Althouse, Metro.co.uk and Delaware County Times

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:
Trump allies immediately blame Biden, Democrats for their rhetoric

Discussion: ABC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, Telegraph, RedState, Fox News, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, The Times of Israel, HuffPost, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, The Federalist, Washington Examiner, USA Today and The Daily Beast

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
An Attempt to Kill an Ex-President, Caught in Real Time, Stuns the Country

Discussion: Semafor, Rolling Stone, Politico, Fox News, DCReport.org, The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Japan Times, USA Today, The Daily Beast and Bloomberg

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Speaker Mike Johnson on Trump shooting: ‘Everyone needs to turn the rhetoric down’

Discussion: New York Times, Axios, Business Insider, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, New York Post, IJR and Mother Jones

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Rally shooting spurs bill to boost security for Biden, Trump and RFK Jr.

Discussion: The Daily Wire, New York Post, UPI, Washington Times, The Daily Signal, The Federalist, Congressman Mike Lawler, Fox News, freebeacon.com, Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit

Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden campaign faces delicate moment after shocking attack on Trump

Discussion: NBC News

David Frum / The Atlantic:

The Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator — Violence stalks the president who has rejoiced in violence to others. — When a madman hammered nearly to death the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump jeered and mocked. One of Trump's sons and other close Trump supporters …

Discussion: The Guardian and Breitbart

WPXI-TV:

Former fire chief shot, killed at Trump rally — PITTSBURGH — The former fire chief for Buffalo Township, Corey Comperatore, was the person killed in the crowd at the Trump rally in Butler County, Channel 11 has learned. — Trump injured in assassination attempt at rally in Butler; 1 attendee, suspected shooter killed

Discussion: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Axios, CNN, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, Associated Press, Breitbart, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Staten Island Advance, Fox News, Kansas Reflector, The Daily Signal, The Gateway Pundit and One America News Network

John Ismay / New York Times:

Photo Appears to Capture Path of Bullet Used in Assassination Attempt — Michael Harrigan, a retired F.B.I. special agent, said the image captured by Doug Mills, a New York Times photographer, seems to show a bullet streaking past former President Donald J. Trump.

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Staten Island Advance, IJR and The Gateway Pundit

Politico:

Trump sends fundraising appeal: ‘I will NEVER SURRENDER’ — Trump's political operation just sent out its first campaign fundraising appeals since the shooting. The former president's joint fundraising committee sent an email and text message Sunday afternoon.