Historian Douglas Brinkley argued on Monday that former President Donald Trump's election heralded a “doomsday scenario,” just a week after an assassination attempt on Trump was thwarted by the Secret Service.
The Secret Service thwarted an assassination attempt on Trump, firing at Ryan Welzie Routh, who was reportedly hiding near the Trump International Golf Club, two months after Trump was shot and slightly injured in his right ear while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Brinkley and “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski argued that criticism of Trump did not lead to the assassination attempt. (Related: 'Take that shot': Democratic C-SPAN call-in reporter praises would-be Trump assassin)
“What do you say to those who say we can't even suggest that everything Donald Trump does is a threat to democracy, or that it amounts to political hate speech?” Scarborough asked.
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“Well, that's nonsense. I'm a devout Catholic. When I see someone like Donald Trump, it feels like I've been shot in the ear. When I see what almost happened at Mar-a-Lago, I say a prayer for him because I respect all human beings. But when it comes to the danger of Donald Trump, the inherent danger, he is dangerous,” Brinkley argued. “He wants to come into power and eviscerate the government because that's good rhetoric. And when he starts trying to abolish the civil service and disintegrate the federal government, the country is going to be in chaos.”
Members of the Biden administration, including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, have repeatedly portrayed Trump as a “threat to democracy,” including after the assassination attempt on Sept. 15. Other Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have echoed the same argument.
“The bigger problem is that the federal government isn't educating people enough. We're not telling people about the great work that the EPA guys are doing for clean water, we're not telling people about clean air. We're not talking enough about airplane safety,” Brinkley argued. “But when you start casually talking about abolishing the Department of Education, nobody even knows what that means. And with the Supreme Court in particular, with this institution that Trump sees as his stamp of approval, and the new power that he's given the Supreme Court to say that the president is above the law, it's going to be hard to test and succeed with.” (RELATED: MSNBC anchor says President Trump should hold back on comments following second possible assassination attempt)
The Justice Department released Routh's letter, in which he wrote about his failed attempt to kill Trump and said he would offer someone $150,000 to “finish the job.”
“If Trump is elected, we are entering a doomsday scenario. People need to wake up, wake up, and pay attention now,” Brinkley continued. “The days ahead are going to fly by.”
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