As many Republicans come up reasons other than the supply of guns in America helping to fuel violence like the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is pointing to another motivaton: Critical race theory.
The conservative senator speculated that the attempt on Trump's life Saturday by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was somehow sparked by "identity politics" like critical race theory, but failed to clearly explain himself.
Critical race theory, which cannot be mentioned in many schools due to Republican policies, recognizes the continuing powerful social and economic impact of slavery on American history. Shooter Crooks was white, as is Trump.
Identity politics is indentifying with a certain group of people, like Blacks identifying with other Black people
Trump obviously currently indentifies with conservative Repubicans. Investigators don't yet know enough about Crooks to speculate about his sympathies.
"The greatest threat to our nation right now is we're horribly divided," Johnson explained Sunday to CNN news host Jake Tapper. "In general," he claimed, "we share the same goals, so why are we so divided?"
There "are political figures, there are political groups. I would argue that's what identity politics is about, that's what critical race theory is about, so there are people who are purposely trying to divide us for political advantage," Johnson added, using his own politically divisive point to make his case.
Sen. Ron Johnson on CNN reacts to Trump's shooting by calling out identity politics and critical race theory pic.twitter.com/963k5OxzC0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 14, 2024
Tapper took a sobering view of most of America in his monologue on his "State of the Union" program.
"I keep hearing from politicians this morning that political violence has no place in America," Tapper began. "We are living in an era of political violence," he insisted.
Tapper pointed to the shootings of former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords in 2011 and Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise in 2017, and the murder of countereprotester Heather Heyer in the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, along with several other instances of violence.
"There is something troubling the American soul right now," he added.
"Too many Americans see those with whom they disagree as the enemy to be shunned, to be banned, to be ostracized, to be threatened with violence or even to have that violence carried out," he added.
He called for settling political differences by "ballots and votes, not by bullets."
Several Republican lawmakers on Sunday blamed what they characterized as harsh rhetoric by President Joe Biden about Trump, calling him a danger to democracy, as the reason behind the assassination attempt.
But across the aisle, Trump himself is no stranger to violent rhetoric. He told his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to "fight like hell" the day they stormed the Capitol, hung a noose outside, and chanted "hang Mike Pence" because the then-vice president refused to overturn the election in Trump's favor.
