Did Trump really say that?
In early August, Trump appeared at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina claiming Clinton would take away the Second Amendment. He stated, “…if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know…” Although his wording is very ambiguous, many people thought Trump was promoting Second Amendment people to use violence to stop Hillary Clinton. Trump’s campaign responded saying, “Second Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power. And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump.” So what were the reactions to Trumps off-the-cuff comment?
Immediately, the Rep. Eric Swalwell called for the Secret Service to investigate Trump’s statement.
Donald Trump suggested someone kill Sec. Clinton. We must take people at their word. @SecretService must investigate #TrumpThreat.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 9, 2016
According to an article posted by the Wall Street Journal, “the Clinton campaign declared his remarks ‘dangerous,’ charging that they amounted to a car for an attack against his opponent.” Hillary Clinton even posted on Twitter the same day,
"A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way." pic.twitter.com/Uu55CBCqdK
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 9, 2016
The US Secret Service communications director, Cathy Milhoan, told CNN, “You’re not just responsible for what you say. You are responsible for what people hear.” Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, stated, “A person seeking to be president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.” Even some supporters like Ryan Williams, a former aide to Mit Romney, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, stated, “He makes it harder every day to continue to support him…It’s almost like he wants people to denounce him.” Ryan also stated, “It sounds like just a joke gone bad…I hope he clears it up very quickly, you should never joke about something like that.”
Though a lot of people are attacking Trump for his comments, some people continue to support him.
Sen. Jeff Seesions of Alabama, said it was an “awkwardly worded call” to call for gun owners to be a political force. The National Rifle Association also backed Trump a posted on twitter making the focus on on Trump’s comment but that, if elected, Clinton will appoint anti-gun Supreme Court Justices.
.@RealDonaldTrump is right. If @HillaryClinton gets to pick her anti-#2A #SCOTUS judges, there’s nothing we can do. #NeverHillary
— NRA (@NRA) August 9, 2016
Overall, Democrats believe it was a call for violence, while Republicans believe it was a call for political unification. One thing that we all can agree on, Trump caught Republicans and Democrats off guard with his statement.
I’m one of those that said, “Did Trump just say that?”. I feel like he knew his target audience, but his narrative was off. The statement could be put into a different genre and clearly make sense. Had the Speaker been a comedian at a stand up show, the statement would be appropriate, but since Trump was speaking at a political rally and talking about serious issues (gun control), the statement seems out of place.
One thing Trump had correct in his message was his audience. He made that comment to citizens who strongly believe in their right to bare arms. These people may not be violent, but to a degree they believe that owning a fire arm will allow them to stand their ground.
I found NRA’s political ad to make Trump’s argument stronger. It frames Hillary as a hypocrite because she has armed guards, but believes in stronger gun control. This ad spoke to a different audience of Trump’s. It spoke to those who believe Hillary is untrustworthy.