One can only be happy and relieved that the American President and with him many other politicians, journalists and dignitaries were not harmed in the attack on Saturday. Unfortunately, this has to be said explicitly in such cases today.
The reaction to the murder of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk just a few months ago showed that it is no longer a given not to wish death on political opponents or to be happy about it. But that is the core of civilized, constitutional and democratic politics: you don’t strive for the personal destruction of your opponent, but you fight for content and for majorities in elections.
Trump himself has crossed the rhetorical boundaries that need to be observed countless times. But that is no reason to view this or previous attempts to take his life as a kind of just punishment or even as a legitimate act of resistance. Trump must be accountable for his political decisions to Congress, voters or the courts. An individual is not authorized to play judge and executioner, as the attacker claimed on Saturday. His letter of self-accusation, in which he placed his planned act in a political context, shows the presumption and lawlessness of his actions.
Four presidents were assassinated
After the assassination attempt on Kirk, the political left in America had to ask itself whether their talk of fascism and the equation of Trump with Hitler had led to a discursive dehumanization of the president and his supporters. There are limits here too, which unfortunately are not always observed. In a free society, it must be possible to discuss the practice of executive power or the personality of a president, but it should not incite people.
And of course that applies to both camps. Republicans have also taken the denigration of political opponents (and the media) to depths that previous politicians have avoided out of decency. It would be unimaginable today that the Republican John McCain once said after his election defeat that the Democrat Barack Obama would now be his president.
Are these all just American phenomena and problems? The United States has a long history of politically motivated violence. It dates back to the 19th century, has cost the lives of four sitting presidents and continues to affect both parties today. That alone speaks against blaming the much-cited social media, even if they often act as an accelerant.
Tendency towards radicalization
However, the ubiquity and availability of guns does matter, even if conservative Americans don’t want to hear it. In Germany, for example, it’s not so easy to get hold of a shotgun and a pistol like the ones the assassin in Washington had with him along with knives. On the other hand, this leads to security precautions that are not seen elsewhere. While there are legitimate questions about security at a busy hotel, security guards likely saved America’s political class from a bloodbath.
A harsher political climate and violence against politicians are not unknown here either, see the recent murder of Walter Lübcke. Already at the beginning of the 1990s, which today seems so peaceful and consensual to many, two prominent politicians, Wolfgang Schäuble and Oskar Lafontaine, were seriously injured in assassination attempts. In recent years there have been repeated reports of an increase in politically motivated criminal and violent crimes. There is undoubtedly a tendency towards radicalization in many Western societies, which can then become dangerous in individual cases.
Politicians therefore do not have to avoid tough debates. But it would be progress if they were conducted more often in an authoritative tone. Trump made a conciliatory statement after the current incident, as he did after the attack in Pennsylvania during the 2024 election campaign. Unfortunately, it is not a bold thesis that he will soon return to his usual tirades; he also uses them as a tactical tool. The Democrats will give him and the Republicans nothing either, because the divisions in US politics remain deep.
Based on previous experience, the attack will not have a major impact on the congressional elections in November; As things stand, the Iran war and the economy are likely to play a larger role. The social culture war is not over either, neither in America nor in Europe.
