Washington state representative reacts to attempted assassination of former President Trump

MILWAUKEE — Washington State Representative Jim Walsh was at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game Saturday when party staffers began to blow up his phone.

Walsh, a Republican representing Aberdeen in the Washington State House, is in Wisconsin’s largest city as a delegate at the Republican National Convention. The texts he and the other delegates were getting pertained to the man they were all there to nominate to the presidential ticket—Donald Trump.

“Obviously, we weren’t paying close attention to the game at that point,” Walsh recalled, “We left a little early once we heard [Trump] was well.”

Former President, and presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump had been rushed to a hospital after what the FBI is investigating as an assassination attempt. To Walsh, shock was not the emotion that came to mind.

“I would say dread is a better word. We were dreading this. President Trump is a polarizing figure.” Walsh said.

Walsh takes aim at how Democrats describe the former president as part of the reason to blame, saying comparisons to Hitler and other dehumanizing statements have gone too far.

In a minutes-long address to the nation, current President Joe Biden reminded the nation it’s the latest in a growing fever in American politics. Biden cited the foiled kidnapping plot of Democratic Governor Gretchen Witmer in 2020, a riot at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 and an attack on former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband that was suspected to be aimed at the California Congresswoman.

“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.  You know, the political record in this country has gotten very heated.  It’s time to cool it down.  We all  have a responsibility to do that.” Biden said in the address.

Walsh blames a personality-over-policy focus in politics and a rat race for attention that provides a perverse incentive for politicians and those seeking influence to say outlandish things, in the hopes the attention benefits their position.

“The trouble is we see this rhetoric, it sort of starts on social media, then it leeches over on mainstream media, particularly television, where these talking heads, these pundits, say outlandish things to try to get ratings and I think it’s having an unsettling effect on everyone, but I think especially those who are unstable,” Walsh said.

Democrats representing Washingtonians were quick to denounce violence of any kind, especially political violence, through statements and social media posts Saturday. Sunday morning, State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad said the nation’s political system is to have dialogue and make a case to voters.

“We have not called for violence, taken money from the NRA, or called for the persecution of political opponents,” Conrad said in a statement, “This election we’ll continue to make our case in a peaceful, nonviolent manner.”

For Walsh, he hopes at the very least, the country learns from a close call with tragedy.

“The effect the hysterical nonsense might have on a person who is already unstable, who is already on the edge, that’s where the risk is and I think the lesson we all need to take coming away from this is, we really need to avoid that kind of rhetoric.” He said.

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