After Trump assassination, Whitmer calls for unity • Michigan Advance

Following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for the political debate in the country to be calmed.

Whitmer said in a statement released Sunday evening that Shoot at a rally in Pennsylvania in which Trump was injured and a rally participant and the shooter were killed, was just the latest in a series of cases of political violence in the United States. This includes the 2017 case Shoot at a congressional baseball training in Virginiathe plan to kidnap and kill her, the dissolved in October 2020The Storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021and the home games in October 2022 Attack on the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Victim and shooter of Trump assassination attempt at Butler rally identified

“There is rhetoric behind all of these incidents,” Whitmer said. “We have seen calls to hate, harm or imprison political opponents. Violent conspiracies from the shadiest corners of the internet have been incorporated into campaign speeches. We have lost the plot when it comes to how we talk to and about each other.”

Her call was similar to that of President Joe Biden, who spoke to the nation from the White House on Sundaysaying “There is no place for this kind of violence or any kind of violence in America.”

In her statement, Whitmer said the effects of the political “scourge” have destroyed relationships, marriages, friendships and families.

“Almost everyone can think of someone they no longer speak to because of politics. I’ve met Michiganders across the state who experience these consequences every day. There’s just a deep-rooted sense of anger and distrust,” said the governor, who noted that those voting for the first time this year were born in 2006.

“Think of what they’ve seen. Imagine what they must think about our politics. Is it a hopeful, inspiring arena where you can passionately stand up for what you believe in? No. For most of their lives, politics has been grim, marked by increasing rhetoric and violence,” Whitmer said. “It’s no surprise that they continue to be cynical or pessimistic about the future. We need their passion and energy to move us forward, but we risk snuffing it out with our words and actions.”

Whitmer urged people to focus on what they have in common rather than the differences between them.

“We have to remember that although we are on different sides of the aisle, we all want the same things. Our children go to the same schools. We shop in the same stores. We live in the same cities. If you love your country, you love your countrymen. That’s the way it is,” she said.