The Violent Rhetoric From the White House

This letter to the editor, by Laurie Harmon, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on May 7, 2026.

I’m flabbergasted at the Republican claims about the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner a week ago Saturday.

I won’t get into the weeds on whether the event was an actual assassination attempt, but it’s odd that the entire line of succession — all the top U.S. government officials — were together in the same room, especially during a time of war. They even remained together in the same room directly afterwards and at the press conference shortly following the incident, where they spoke more of ballrooms than of an “assassination” attempt.

In truth, no one is happy with President Donald Trump’s performance. His approval rating is at a record low. Gas prices are astronomical and we have spent over $25 billion on a war we have no business fighting. We have slashed funding to vital programs that serve our most vulnerable: veterans, children, healthcare-deficient, the poor, the homeless, etc. We are certainly not making America great.

In reality, the majority of violent rhetoric is coming directly from the White House. An inexhaustive list includes: condoning/applauding deaths of protesters and politicians in Minneapolis; stating pleasure at Robert Mueller’s death; mocking Rob Reiner and his wife’s tragic deaths; mocking Nancy Pelosi’s husband’s violent attack; calling for the execution of lawmakers who disagree with him; and killing innocent school children for no discernible reason.

Trump and his administration are the key proponents of violence. His latest claim is most heinous and hypocritical. He wants his political enemy, former FBI director James Comey, severely prosecuted for a benign post in which “8647,” is spelled out in sea shells on a beach. As inane as this charge is, Trump should tread lightly, lest they also issue an indictment for his allies posting “8646” while Biden was president.

The bottom line: Trump and his band of merry criminals, podcasters and minor television personalities are not only ill-equipped to run our government, they are the biggest purveyors of violence today in our country today.