CNN Analyst Fears Assassination Attempts Could Help Trump Win
CNN’s Juliette Kayyem expressed concern over the potential political benefits for former President Donald Trump following a second assassination attempt over the weekend, labeling the situation a “problem” and “unfortunate.”
Authorities arrested 58-year-old Ryan Routh—a Democratic donor with a criminal history—after Secret Service agents spotted his AK-47-style rifle while he hid in the shrubbery just a few hundred yards from Trump at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
When confronted by federal law enforcement officials, Routh fled and drove away in a car. A witness was able to capture a photo of the vehicle and its license plate, enabling police to quickly locate and arrest him.
“And I really don’t care what you feel about him, or Harris,” she said on the network late on Sunday. “I mean, this is, this is the expectation that he will be safe. And the reason why this is, you know, in some ways, you know, you said how close the election is, the problem is this is a safety issue that is being thrown into a very intense political environment in which the very fact of an assassination, a constitutional moment, because it’s, it could have impacted voters, will be used for political purposes. And that, to me, is, is just as not as a, you know, exceptionally unfortunate, because whatever your beliefs are, we do deserve to have campaigns that are not part that where violence isn’t being used as either a sword or a shield.”
CNN's Juliette Kayyem laments this second Trump assassination attempt "could have impacted voters" and "will be used for political purposes" and that's "exceptionally unfortunate" pic.twitter.com/ymJKE3VbUZ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 16, 2024
CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings responded to comments from a CNN host who stated that the inflammatory rhetoric was a “both sides” issue, arguing that both the left and right were responsible for escalating tensions when they should be working to reduce them.
“The rhetoric — they have tried to kill this man twice, okay? He got shot in the ear, and this guy was setting up shop outside of a golf course to try to kill him this weekend,” Jennings shot back. “And I know after something like this happens, it’s very fashionable to, you know, talk about rhetoric on both sides. Donald Trump is the target, okay? He’s the current target, and it’s happening, and it’s happened again, and I just — honestly, we have to have a conversation about elections. If you lose an election, the country’s not going to come to an end, okay? Democracy will not end if Trump should win a second term in the White House. The constitution will not end, we’re not going to live in a dictatorship, there will not be a bloodbath, all the things they say that are totally fabricated — to me, it would be a good day to stop doing that.”
I’m not interested in “the rhetoric on both sides” today. Trump is the target. He’s survived two assassination attempts. He’s in danger and it’s probably too late to de-radicalize everyone who thinks the country will end if he wins. My latest for @cnn pic.twitter.com/4xD2NXGWT4
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 16, 2024
