{"id":2317274,"date":"2024-08-01T05:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T09:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jon-tester-quietly-praised-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-trump-dead-records-show-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-01T05:26:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T09:26:06","slug":"jon-tester-quietly-praised-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-trump-dead-records-show-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jon-tester-quietly-praised-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-trump-dead-records-show-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Tester quietly praised Pearl Jam poster depicting Trump dead, records show &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjon-tester-quietly-praised-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-trump-dead-records-show-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2317274&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) found \u2064himself in the spotlight after records revealed he praised a\u200b controversial Pearl Jam concert poster that depicted\u200c former President Donald Trump dead. This poster was used \u200cfor a campaign fundraiser in 2018 \u2063and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/osha-head-on-vaccines-we-didnt-demand-that-anyone-be-fired\/\" title=\"OSHA Chief: No Firings Demanded for Vaccines\">drew significant backlash<\/a> at the time, although Tester&#8217;s campaign distanced itself from the imagery, insisting they\u200d did not condone violence. However, in \u200bhis 2020 book &#8220;Grounded: A Rural Democrat\u2019s Fight to Unite a Divided America,&#8221; Tester admitted he actually\u200c loved the poster and described how it became a major attraction at the concert.<\/p>\n<p>This revelation comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-moves-one-step-closer-to-punishing-rashida-tlaib\/\" title=\"House Moves One Step Closer to Punishing Rashida Tlaib\">amidst heightened political tensions<\/a> following an assassination attempt on Trump,\u2062 which Tester condemned while expressing\u2062 concerns over political violence. Critics from the Republican side have since accused \u200bTester of promoting violent rhetoric, particularly referencing his past statement \u200bsuggesting that the way\u2064 to defeat Trump was to &#8220;punch him in the face.&#8221;\u2063 Tester\u2019s comments and the poster incident highlight the fraught political climate\u200c as both parties grapple\u200b with the implications of their rhetoric.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jon Tester quietly praised Pearl Jam poster depicting Trump dead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/happy-anniversary-lincoln-project-founder-rick-wilson-celebrates-7-years-since-390k-tax-lien\/\" title=\"Happy Anniversary! Lincoln Project Founder Rick Wilson Celebrates 7 Years Since 0K Tax Lien\">records show<\/a><\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1719408\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) praised an apocalyptic Pearl Jam concert poster that depicted former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> dead in front of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a>, records show.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, as Tester was seeking a third term, controversy swirled over promotional materials for an Aug. 13 concert fundraiser for the senator&rsquo;s campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2018\/politics\/news\/pearl-jam-trump-tester-1202906577\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>featuring<\/a> a drawing of Trump lying dead on the ground, with the White House, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial ablaze. At the time, Tester&rsquo;s campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/a-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-a-dead-president-trump-draws-controversy-in-montana-senate-race\/2018\/08\/15\/714d379c-a097-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>insisted<\/a> it neither condoned violence nor approved of the poster, which also depicted a gleeful Tester flying on a tractor above the word &ldquo;vote&rdquo; etched in the sky. The poster was co-created by Jeff Ament, a longtime friend of Tester and Pearl Jam&rsquo;s bassist, Jeff Ament, the <em>Washington Post<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/a-pearl-jam-poster-depicting-a-dead-president-trump-draws-controversy-in-montana-senate-race\/2018\/08\/15\/714d379c-a097-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>However, despite the Tester campaign condemning the anti-Trump art in 2018, the senator hummed to a different tune in a passage buried in his 2020 book <em>Grounded: A Rural Democrat&rsquo;s Fight to Unite a Divided America<\/em>, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> found. In the book, Tester revealed that he &ldquo;actually loved&rdquo; the Pearl Jam poster. Pearl Jam, a rock band whose lead vocalist is Eddie Vedder, was formed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/seattle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Seattle<\/a> in 1990. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As soon as word spread of how wild the posters were, fans stood in line for hours to buy them all up at $35 a pop. Christie showed me a copy, gritting her teeth,&rdquo; Tester wrote in his book, referring to his then-campaign manager, Christie Roberts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And there&rsquo;s an unmistakable image of me, flying on my tractor above the fire and fury, waving with my two-fingered left hand,&rdquo; the senator continued. &ldquo;&lsquo;This is so &hellip; interesting,&rsquo; I told Christie. Though the poster was off message, I didn&rsquo;t want to admit to her that I actually loved it. None of us knew about the posters before we saw them on sale at the concert.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) walks to a vote on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tester also wrote in his book that &ldquo;the big news&rdquo; during the event &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t the music; it was the artwork.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>News of Tester&rsquo;s embrace of the artwork comes after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iraqi-govt-blames-shiite-groups-for-botched-attack-on-prime-minister-2\/\" title=\"Iraqi Govt. blames Shi\u2019ite groups for botched attack on prime minister\">recent assassination attempt<\/a> on Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The senator said in July he was &ldquo;appalled by the violence at the political rally&rdquo; and wrote a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorTester\/status\/1812547239912275971\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> to other lawmakers requesting an investigation into the event, which he called a &ldquo;tragedy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the aftermath of the attempted assassination, Republicans have cast blame on Democrats for their rhetoric, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-CaalQtVQVc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>calling<\/a> Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2024\/03\/04\/one-existential-threat-in-shift-biden-gives-trump-a-tongue-lashing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"an\">an<\/a> &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-biden-defends-controversial-comments-about-putting-trump-in-bullseye-before-shooting-during-rant\/\" title=\"Watch: Biden defends controversial comments about putting Trump in &#039;bullseye&#039; before shooting during rant\">existential threat&#038;rdquo<\/a>; to democracy, arguing that such claims could fuel extremist activity.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2024\/06\/28\/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-campaign-event-raleigh-nc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> in June at a rally in North Carolina that Trump &ldquo;is a genuine threat to this nation.&rdquo; Days later, at a Wisconsin rally, Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2024\/07\/05\/remarks-by-president-biden-to-overflow-crowd-at-campaign-event-madison-wi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a>, &ldquo;I mean what I said: We cannot let Trump win. No, I mean, that&rsquo;s not hyperbole. We can&rsquo;t. This is the most dangerous election in American history.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tester&rsquo;s campaign declined a request for comment, pointing the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> to his <a href=\"https:\/\/dailymontanan.com\/2024\/07\/14\/tester-calls-for-investigation-daines-mourns-with-families\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>statement<\/a> in July following the assassination attempt.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tester&rsquo;s violent rhetoric toward President Trump is sick,&rdquo; said Mike Berg, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.<\/p>\n<p>The spokesman for the NRSC, which works to elect Republicans to the upper chamber, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/691956\/democratic-senator-on-how-to-beat-trump-punch-him-in-the-face\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>also pointed to comments<\/a> Tester made in 2019 declaring that the way to beat Trump was to &ldquo;punch him in the face.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think, even in states where Donald Trump won big, that it does you any good running away from Donald Trump,&rdquo; Tester <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ybIXoMhTr_w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> during an interview on MSNBC&rsquo;s <em>Morning Joe<\/em> in 2019. &ldquo;I think you need to go back and punch him in the face. I mean, the truth is this guy is bad for this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 21, Tester will appear alongside Ament, the Pearl Jam bassist, for a fundraiser in Missoula, Montana. The event is included in a package for &ldquo;Big Sky Rocker&rdquo; and &ldquo;Super Fan&rdquo; donors giving at least $400 to Tester, the <em>Montana Free Press<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/07\/15\/convention-or-concert-for-tester-its-no-contest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>. The 2024 election fundraiser is one day before an Aug. 22 Pearl Jam <a href=\"https:\/\/logjampresents.com\/event\/pearl-jam-59464\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>concert<\/a> at the University of Montana. <\/p>\n<p>Tester faces a competitive challenge in Montana this year from Tim Sheehy, a businessman and ex-Navy SEAL. The Senate seat is widely viewed as a toss-up. Sheehy led Tester by five percentage points in a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/senate\/2024\/montana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1719408\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1719408\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) expressed admiration for a Pearl Jam concert poster that illustrated former President Donald Trump deceased in front of the White House, according to records. During his 2018 campaign for a third term, there was significant controversy surrounding promotional materials for an August 13 fundraiser concert featuring an image of Trump lying lifeless on the ground, with iconic Washington landmarks engulfed in flames. At that time, Tester&#8217;s campaign maintained that they did not endorse violence or approve of the poster, which also showed Tester joyfully flying on a tractor above the word &#8220;vote&#8221; written in the sky. The artwork was co-created by Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam&#8217;s bassist and a longtime friend of Tester. Despite condemning the anti-Trump imagery back then, Tester later revealed in his 2020 book &#8220;Grounded: A Rural Democrat\u2019s Fight to Unite a Divided America&#8221; that he actually loved the poster. He recounted how fans eagerly lined up to purchase it at $35 each and described his reaction when shown a copy by his campaign manager at the time. He noted how interesting he found it but didn&#8217;t want to admit his fondness for it since it deviated from their message.<\/p>\n<p>Tester also mentioned in his book that during this event, &#8220;the big news&#8221; wasn&#8217;t about the music but rather about the artwork itself. His comments come amid heightened tensions following an assassination attempt on Trump earlier this year; Tester condemned political violence and called for investigations into such incidents while facing criticism from Republicans who blame Democrats&#8217; rhetoric for inciting extremism.<\/p>\n<p>In past statements, including one made during an MSNBC interview in 2019 where he suggested confronting Trump directly as being necessary to combat what he viewed as harmful leadership. As part of ongoing fundraising efforts ahead of next year&#8217;s election\u2014where he&#8217;s facing stiff competition from Tim Sheehy\u2014Tester is scheduled to appear alongside Ament at an event in Missoula just before another Pearl Jam concert nearby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2317275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Jon-Tester-Montana-Donald-Trump-2024-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32875,36845,32171,3634],"class_list":["post-2317274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-jon-tester","tag-pearl-jam","tag-political-commentary","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Jon-Tester-Montana-Donald-Trump-2024-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}