On Monday, CBS Mornings ghoulishly placed the second Trump assassination attempt in two months alongside the former President’s “incendiary rhetoric” triggering “threats of violence” in Springfield, Ohio and against Haitian immigrants.
This disgusting attempt to muddy the waters and minimizing those wanting to kill Trump was seen hours earlier as ABC and NBC willingly chose to make this disgusting connection on Sunday’s World News Tonight (helmed by debate co-moderator Linsey Davis) and NBC Nightly News (with Lester Holt making a rare weekend evening appearance). Thankfully, Monday’s Good Morning America and Today didn’t make the same choice.
CBS co-host and Kamala Harris donor Gayle King downplayed the threat in the show’s “Eye Opener” teases: “A man is in custody after what looks like another assassination attempt on former President Trump. We have the latest on the investigation.”
Seconds later, co-host and former NFL player Nate Burleson pivoted to Springfield: “There are growing fears of racially motivated violence in Ohio due to Trump’s false claims about immigrants.”
King did express her relief Trump was okay at the formal onset of their coverage:
We have to begin with this — there’s been another stunning moment — I know you’ve heard about it — in the presidential campaign. A second possible assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. This time, when he was playing golf in Florida. Officials say that the gunman fled after a Secret Service agent fired shots at him. A short time later, we’re happy to see the suspect was arrested around 50 miles away. The former President was not harmed.
Following just over five minutes of coverage, Burleson told viewers to stick around in the second hour as foreign correspondent Holly Williams would explain that she “was in touch with [the suspect] when he was overseas” in Ukraine assisting them in the war against Russia.
Fill-in co-host Kristine Johnson pivoted from Trump being nearly killed to ripping his “inflammatory rhetoric” being responsible for “more threats of violence in Springfield, Ohio.”
“The city has seen multiple bomb threats against city hall and local schools after false claims from former President Trump and his running mate about immigrants eating pets. Now, they deny stoking racial hatred for political gain,” she added.
Congressional correspondent Nikole Killion announced from Springfield her disgust with Trump and running mate/Senator JD Vance (R-OH) for “doubl[ing] down on these disproven claims about Haitian immigrants here in Springfield” and fretted the mayor “feels like [the town is] caught in a political vortex.”
“This normally quiet town of roughly 60,000 residents still on edge since false claims about Haitian immigrants started online and were amplified by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance,” she continued, adding that “[t]he Proud Boys were seen marching through the streets over the weekend and a branch of the Ku Klux Klan spread leaflets with hateful messages.”
Killion later said “Vance condemned the threats of violence,” but dismissed them because “he continued to defend the false claims.”
On the actual coverage of what happened Sunday afternoon, CBS failed to bring up the suspect’s lengthy social media history, including his echoing of Democratic talking points about “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot” if Trump were to win and saying he “will be glad when you are gone” since he’s “r****ded”.
Anti-Trump correspondent Robert Costa even had a soundbite from former Biden-Harris official Samantha Vinograd decrying any attempt to ascribe political motive:
However it is incredibly important until we learn of the specific motivation that individuals don't assign blame or indicate that they know what the motivation was. This could lead to unnecessary copycats attacks, retaliatory attacks, and overall an even more heightened threat environment in the country.
To see the relevant CBS transcript from September 16, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
September 16, 2024
7:00 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]GAYLE KING: A man is in custody after what looks like another assassination attempt on former President Trump. We have the latest on the investigation.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Attempted Assassination]
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA SHERIFF: In the bushes where this guy was is an AK-47-style rifle with a scope.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Ohio Threats]
NATE BURLESON: There are growing fears of racially motivated violence in Ohio due to Trump’s false claims about immigrants.
GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE (R-OH) [on ABC’s This Week, 09/15/24]: Piece of garbage that was simply not true.
(....)
7:02 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Trump Assassination Attempt; Man Arrested After Alleged Attempt on Trump’s Life]
KING: We have to begin with this — there’s been another stunning moment — I know you’ve heard about it — in the presidential campaign. A second possible assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. This time, when he was playing golf in Florida. Officials say that the gunman fled after a Secret Service agent fired shots at him. A short time later, we’re happy to see the suspect was arrested around 50 miles away. The former President was not harmed
(....)
7:09 a.m. Eastern
NATE BURLESON: We’ll have more on all of this in our next hour with a closer look at the suspect including his time in Ukraine. Our own Holly Williams, who was in touch with him when he was overseas — she joins us at 8:00.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Springfield Bomb Threat Evacuations; Ohio City Faces Threats Over Trump & Vance’s False Immigrant Claims]
KRISTINE JOHNSON: Inflammatory rhetoric on the campaign trail has led to more threats of violence in Springfield, Ohio. The city has seen multiple bomb threats against city hall and local schools after false claims from former President Trump and his running mate about immigrants eating pets. Now, they deny stoking racial hatred for political gain. Nikole Killion is in Springfield for us with more. Nikole, good morning.
NIKOLE KILLION: Good morning, Christine.. Former President Trump and Senator Vance are continuing to double down on these disproven claims about Haitian immigrants here in Springfield. The mayor tells me that enough is enough, he says his town is getting overwhelmed and feels like it’s caught in a political vortex. This normally quiet town of roughly 60,000 residents still on edge since false claims about Haitian immigrants started online and were amplified by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO MAYOR ROB RUE: If they just backed off their words a little bit, this could help our environment. This would help. We need help, not hate.
KILLION: Springfield mayor Rob Rue says his city is assessing execute after members of the far-right group The Proud Boys were seen marching through the streets over the weekend and a branch of the Ku Klux Klan spread leaflets with hateful messages. Bomb threats prompted lockdowns at two hospitals and shuttered events at the local campus of Wittenburg University, which will hold classes remotely today.
WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT MICHAEL FRANDSEN: It’s disappointing to have this national political rhetoric having an effect on our 1,300 students. They didn’t ask for this. We didn’t ask for this
SENATOR JD VANCE (R-OH) [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 09/15/24]: I talked to a lot of people in Springfield. People are frustrated with the national media attention.
KILLION: On Face the Nation, Vance condemned the threats of violence but in a Sunday show blitz, he continued to defend the false claims.
DANA BASH [TO VANCE] [on CNN’s State of the Union, 09/15/24]: But it wasn’t just a meme, sir.
VANCE [on CNN’s State of the Union, 09/15/24]: I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana.
KILLION [TO RUE]: How do you respond to that?
RUE: If any leader said exactly that, I would be concerned about the validity of what they’re saying. I don’t understand why the statement was made in that way. It confuses me.
KILLION [TO RUE]: If you could speak to the former President or the senator right now, what would you tell them?
RUE: We’d ask that you would listen to what the local leadership is saying about these baseless claims and they’re just not true.
KILLION: Mayor Rue says the city has tried to reach out to Senator Vance. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine has called the debunked claims garbage and at least one state lawmaker has called on Vance to resign in light of his latest comments. Nate?
BURLESON: Nikole, thank you.
