Presidential historian and Monday CNN NewsNight panelist Tim Naftali suggested in the aftermath of the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump that Trump made himself a bigger target by “using the rhetoric of the 30s.” Fortunately, New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan and CNN commentator Scott Jennings were also there to recall the violent rhetoric and “bunch of lies” directed towards Trump over the past several years.
Naftali declared, “I remember so well July 13th. And I remember the conversations in the days that followed. I remember President Biden's speech about toning down the rhetoric, and I saw the rhetoric toned down on both sides and then 20 minutes into his acceptance speech, Donald Trump turned up the volume.”
By which, Naftali means that Trump is a candidate running for office and therefore says things contrary to what he thinks.
As for Sunday, Naftali continued, “I'm not blaming him for what happened, of course. In our country, you do not decide political disputes through violence. But the problem is that we have too much hate speech right now and we are creating an environment –”
Jennings interrupted to ask, “Give me an example. What do you mean by hate speech, because I want to specifically know? Because I think I know what it is, but I'm interested in what you think about this, because I agree with you. I do think we have too much hate speech, but give me an example."
Naftali replied, “I would say when you use the term vermin to describe your political opponents.”
Seeing that Naftali was trying to have it both ways, Jennings asked, “So, you think it's Trump's fault that he got shot or got shot?”
Naftali then proceeded to imply Trump was a Nazi, “Scott, I won't step in that trap. That's not what I said. There is no place in this country for violence. But let's be honest about why we have so much tension in this country. When you dehumanize people, you are using the rhetoric of the 30s. I'm not using -- I'm not going to say which country in the 30s, but when you dehumanize people, you make it easier for disturbed minds to do the wrong thing and let me just remind you of something. In 2019, Donald Trump said that the internet is a dangerous avenue, okay, to radicalize disturbed minds. He was right.”
Moynihan then recalled how, “none of this is new. And I do think there is a level of tolerance when it comes to violent speech about Trump since 2016. We had Kathy Griffin showing basically his head severed. There were people putting on Shakespeare in the Park plays where that they him as Julius Caesar.”
Amid crosstalk from the panel’s liberal members, Moynihan continued, “I think there's a level of violent rhetoric that has been directed at him, but that's happened for ten years.”
Jennings elaborated on that point, “It's been normalized. But it's been normalized and adopted as part of one party's platform for president this year. The country will cease to exist if Donald Trump wins. There will be no more democracy.”
Against more crosstalk, Jennings demanded he be allowed to finish before continuing, “You know, the Constitution won't exist. There'll be a bloodbath. He's going to be a dictator. When you effectively radicalize millions of people into believing that if an electoral outcome doesn't go our way, they're no longer going to be living in the country they thought they were. What do you expect to happen?”
He concluded by agreeing with Naftali and wishing that standard also applied to Democrats, “And I agree with you, there is too much hate speech. I'm in total agreement with you, and I hear what you're saying, but I have to say when I see what Democratic politicians say about Donald Trump, when I see what Democratic commentators say about Donald Trump, and their platform is built on a bunch of lies, frankly, that are designed to radicalize a political base. It makes me wonder how much do they really care about the violence that you and I both agree is terrible.”
Unfortunately, host Abby Phillip followed by agreeing with Naftali, claiming “Trump's hands are not clean in this.”
Here is a transcript for the September 16 show:
CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
9/16/2024
10:07 PM ET
TIM NAFTALI: What I'm saying is that I remember so well July 13th. And I remember the conversations in the days that followed. I remember President Biden's speech about toning down the rhetoric, and I saw the rhetoric toned down on both sides and then 20 minutes into his acceptance speech, Donald Trump turned up the volume.
I'm not blaming him for what happened, of course. In our country, you do not decide political disputes through violence. But the problem is that we have too much hate speech right now and we are creating an environment –
SCOTT JENNINGS: Give me an example. What do you mean by hate speech, because I want to specifically know? Because I think I know what it is, but I'm interested in what you think about this, because I agree with you. I do think we have too much hate speech, but give me an example.
NAFTALI: I would say when you use the term vermin to describe your political opponents.
JENNINGS: So, you think it's Trump's fault that he got shot or got shot?
ELIE MYSTAL: He just said that's not what he thought.
NAFTALI: Thank you. Scott, I won't step in that trap. That's not what I said. There is no place in this country for violence. But let's be honest about why we have so much tension in this country. When you dehumanize people, you are using the rhetoric of the 30s. I'm not using -- I'm not going to say which country in the 30s, but when you dehumanize people, you make it easier for disturbed minds to do the wrong thing.
And let me just remind you of something. In 2019, Donald Trump said that the internet is a dangerous avenue, okay, to radicalize disturbed minds. He was right.
JENNINGS: Yeah.
NAFTALI: And he should remind us –
LYDIA MOYNIHAN: None of this is new. And I do think there is a level of tolerance when it comes to violent speech about Trump since 2016. We had Kathy Griffin showing basically his head severed. There were people putting on Shakespeare in the Park plays where that they him as Julius Caesar –
NAFTALI: I believe she was cancelled—
HILARY ROSEN: Her career was kind of ruined after that, so there wasn’t a lot of tolerance.
MOYNIHAN: I think there's a level of violent rhetoric that has been directed at him, but that's happened for ten years.
JENNINGS: It's been normalized. But it's been normalized and adopted as part of one party's platform for president this year. The country will cease to exist if Donald Trump wins.
NAFTALI: Scott.
JENNINGS: There will be no more democracy –
NAFTALI: Joe Biden is the –
JENNINGS: Listen, hey, look.
MYSTAL: Wait, no.
JENNINGS: Why don't I get to finish? Everybody gets to finish. Go ahead.
PHILLIP: Let's let Scott finish and then I have something to say.
JENNINGS: You know, the Constitution won't exist. There'll be a bloodbath. He's going to be a dictator. When you effectively radicalize millions of people into believing that if an electoral outcome doesn't go our way, they're no longer going to be living in the country they thought they were. What do you expect to happen?
And I agree with you, there is too much hate speech. I'm in total agreement with you, and I hear what you're saying, but I have to say when I see what Democratic politicians say about Donald Trump, when I see what Democratic commentators say about Donald Trump, and their platform is built on a bunch of lies, frankly, that are designed to radicalize a political base. It makes me wonder how much do they really care about the violence that you and I both agree is terrible.
