In a weekend attack on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former President Donald Trump used the term “death wish,” which was condemned by The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board on Sunday (R-Ky.)
The board stated that because of today’s intense political polarization, extreme partisans no longer require a reason to use violence. This makes Donald Trump’s most recent rhetorical attack on Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republican Party, even more irresponsible.
The statement continued, “The ‘death wish’ rhetoric is deplorable even by Mr. Trump’s norms and ought to be criticized.”
On Friday, Trump claimed that McConnell had a “death wish” because he had endorsed Democratic-sponsored legislation, while also referring to McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, as “China loving” and “Coco Chow” in reference to the Chinese-related American company her family owns.
Since the former president was in office, McConnell and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship. In recent weeks, Trump has regularly criticized the top Senate Republican, claiming that he should no longer be the party’s leader while criticizing Chao with racially charged remarks.
After McConnell voted in favor of a continuing resolution that financed the government until mid-December, the most recent assault occurred.
The Wall Street Journal editors stated: “Mr. Trump’s apologists argue he just meant Mr. McConnell has a political death wish, but that isn’t what he wrote. “It’s all too simple to picture a fanatic trying to kill Mr. McConnell by taking Mr. Trump seriously and literally. On January 6, a lot of Mr. Trump’s followers took his remarks about the late Vice President Mike Pence seriously.
The editorial also quotes Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said in an interview with The New York Times that she wouldn’t be shocked if a politician were to be slain in an environment of increased threat.
Collins and other politicians have received several threats, which has boosted security spending and caused some lawmakers to alter their conduct.
The Journal’s editors wrote on Sunday that “Trump could be working and spending money to elect a GOP Congress, or to help his home state of Florida recover from Hurricane Ian.”
“Instead he’s attacking Mr. McConnell and his wife as part of a personal political vendetta, and putting every Republican candidate on the spot to respond to questions about the Trump rant,” they added. “Mr. Trump always puts himself first, and with this rhetoric he may put others at genuine risk of harm.”
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