Congressman Mark Sanford says Donald Trump
is partly to blame for the heated rhetoric
is partly to blame for the heated rhetoric
During an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” Congressman Mark Sanford told host Anderson Cooper that Donald Trump shares some of the blame for how discourteous folks have become whenever they are speaking to each other.
Sanford said to Cooper, “But when the president says to somebody in the audience, “I wish I could hit you in the face. If not, why don’t you do it and I’ll pay your legal fees,” we ought to call it for what it is, that’s a problem.”
Sanford’s comment came a day after a gunman targeted Republican lawmakers who were practicing for the Congressional Baseball game.
The gunman, James T. Hodgkinson, had posted several anti-Republican and anti-Trump comments on his Facebook page.
On Wednesday, he went to the park where the Republican congressmen were practicing, began firing, injuring five individuals.
The five individuals who were injured included House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Matt Mika (lobbyist), Zack Barth (staffer to Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)), and Capitol Police Special Agents Crystal Griner and David Bailey.
Congressional House leaders came together and denounced the attacks. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said, “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi commented, “We will use this occasion as one that brings us together, and not separates us further.”
The shooting has resulted in several folks pointing to Donald Trump’s harsh tone during the 2016 Presidential Election as the cause of the increase in public incivility.
During the election, Trump insinuated that the “Second Amendment” folks could use their right, if Hillary Clinton were elected president, to stop her from “taking away” their guns.
He would also tell his audience to “beat the hell” out of protesters. Sanford told Cooper that Trump’s tone during the election has carried over, and that he (Mark Sanford) noticed how bad the “rhetoric” had become after he witnessed some senior citizens cursing each other out.
Sanford said that when he approached one of the senior citizens about his use of colorful language, the man rationalized his colorful use of the English language by pointing to the “lively” manner in which President Donald Trump expresses himself on-line and off-line.
The South Carolina congressman said the ol’ man responded to him with, “But wait a minute, if the guy at the top can say anything to anybody at any time, why can’t I say what I want.”
According to Sanders, he let the elderly man know that a civil society cannot reach a reasonable conclusion if folks in that society are behaving irrationally.
Sanders did say that he doesn’t blame Trump for the shooting. However, Sanders does believe that Trump, the Democrats, and the Republicans share the blame for the harshness within the discourse amongst those in the public setting.
Sanford said to Cooper, “But when the president says to somebody in the audience, “I wish I could hit you in the face. If not, why don’t you do it and I’ll pay your legal fees,” we ought to call it for what it is, that’s a problem.”
Sanford’s comment came a day after a gunman targeted Republican lawmakers who were practicing for the Congressional Baseball game.
The gunman, James T. Hodgkinson, had posted several anti-Republican and anti-Trump comments on his Facebook page.
On Wednesday, he went to the park where the Republican congressmen were practicing, began firing, injuring five individuals.
The five individuals who were injured included House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Matt Mika (lobbyist), Zack Barth (staffer to Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)), and Capitol Police Special Agents Crystal Griner and David Bailey.
Congressional House leaders came together and denounced the attacks. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said, “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi commented, “We will use this occasion as one that brings us together, and not separates us further.”
The shooting has resulted in several folks pointing to Donald Trump’s harsh tone during the 2016 Presidential Election as the cause of the increase in public incivility.
During the election, Trump insinuated that the “Second Amendment” folks could use their right, if Hillary Clinton were elected president, to stop her from “taking away” their guns.
He would also tell his audience to “beat the hell” out of protesters. Sanford told Cooper that Trump’s tone during the election has carried over, and that he (Mark Sanford) noticed how bad the “rhetoric” had become after he witnessed some senior citizens cursing each other out.
Sanford said that when he approached one of the senior citizens about his use of colorful language, the man rationalized his colorful use of the English language by pointing to the “lively” manner in which President Donald Trump expresses himself on-line and off-line.
The South Carolina congressman said the ol’ man responded to him with, “But wait a minute, if the guy at the top can say anything to anybody at any time, why can’t I say what I want.”
According to Sanders, he let the elderly man know that a civil society cannot reach a reasonable conclusion if folks in that society are behaving irrationally.
Sanders did say that he doesn’t blame Trump for the shooting. However, Sanders does believe that Trump, the Democrats, and the Republicans share the blame for the harshness within the discourse amongst those in the public setting.
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