This post is co-authored with POLINSIGHTS Editor-in-Chief, Emil Ordonez.
This afternoon, July 13, 2024, while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was shot at. The news is currently developing as this is being written, but it appears two are dead including the shooter, while another is in critical condition. This moment harkens old memories of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan – especially among those old enough to remember.
The political implications of this shooting are many, but now is not the time for that. Now is the time to remind all that violence must never be the answer. Elections should not be decided by violence but they should be decided by votes. Now is not the time for political bickering. The nation must come together and unite against this act of violence. It is a disgrace that America has become so divided that it has now come to this egregious and shameful act of violence. The attack on former President Trump must be condemned to the fullest extent.
This act of violence is yet another reminder that Americans have become so bitterly divided that there is less and less room for rational dialogue between all sides of the political spectrum. We must learn to speak to one another, to be able to understand our views on the issue without resorting to violence. Talking to one another is the sign of a healthy and vibrant democracy. America must and can do better than this.
Felix Puig Seppalainen is the senior political editor of Polinsights. He is a rising high school senior. Following the 2020 election, he cemented his love for politics and economics and have pursued those studies ever since. For fun, he trades in the stock market, learn history, and predict elections which led to his invitation to partake in Polinsights and take a part in this work of democratizing the access to information on politics.
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