Republican strategist and MSNBC political analyst Susan Del Percio took issue with President Donald Trump after he argued he was targeted by what he said was a third assassination attempt because of the “impact” he’s had as leader of the United States, and not how he’s incited division among Americans.
Del Percio Rejects Trump’s Logic
While appearing on “Alex Witt Reports” on Sunday afternoon, Del Percio was asked what she thought about the president comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln as he talked about having “studied assassinations” during a press conference after the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
Though Trump told viewers he’s learned “the people that make the biggest impact” are often the ones who end up being targeted by violence, Del Percio said she had trouble making sense of his logic.
Pointing out where she felt his statement was “wrong,” she said, “Most people think of it now that, ‘Oh, if you do a really good job, people are going to take a shot at you.’ That’s not the case.”
Trump’s Lincoln Comparison
President Donald Trump likened himself to President Abraham Lincoln while talking about why he believes he was the target of another shooting during an incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.
“What this administration has done is worked so hard to divide this country, to hurt the people they don’t like, and they don’t mind the violence as long as it’s towards, you know, supporting them, the people who come out and support them,” the political expert explained.
During his press conference, the president joked that “nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession.”
The suspected attacker, who is reported to be a 31-year-old man from California, exchanged gunfire with law enforcement outside of the ballroom where the event was taking place.
Call for Action on Gun Violence
Overall, Del Percio said that she was struck by how America seems to be “living in chaos when it comes to gun violence,” saying it was time for legislators from both parties to step up and tackle the problem.
