{"id":2345145,"date":"2024-09-24T07:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T11:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-left-gaslights-u-s-with-double-standards-on-violent-rhetoric\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T07:37:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T11:37:16","slug":"the-left-gaslights-u-s-with-double-standards-on-violent-rhetoric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-left-gaslights-u-s-with-double-standards-on-violent-rhetoric\/","title":{"rendered":"The Left Gaslights U.S. With Double Standards On Violent Rhetoric"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fthe-left-gaslights-u-s-with-double-standards-on-violent-rhetoric%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=2345145&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>The article discusses escalating political\u200d violence in\u200c America, particularly in light \u200dof recent events, including a second assassination attempt \u2063on former President Donald Trump. It argues that the left&#8217;s use of \u2063inflammatory rhetoric\u2014depicting Trump as an existential threat \u200dand making comparisons to figures like\u2063 Hitler\u2014fosters a\u200c dangerous climate that may justify \u2064violence\u200b against him\u2063 and his\u200d supporters. Despite these violent occurrences, Democrats and \u2063mainstream media \u200dsuggest that\u2064 Trump&#8217;s own actions are to blame for the violence rather than \u200bthe\u2064 rhetoric used against \u200dhim.<\/p>\n<p>In a televised segment, NBC anchor Lester Holt noted\u2063 the connection between intense political rhetoric and the assassination\u2064 attempt, while White House\u2062 Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre \u200cdismissed concerns regarding the language used to describe \u200cTrump, labeling such questions as dangerous. This perceived hypocrisy is highlighted: the\u2064 left does not \u200dconsider their language dangerous \u2064when used against\u200b Trump, but they deem \u200csimilar rhetoric from the right regarding other political issues as \u200cthreatening. The article concludes \u200bby pointing to the left&#8217;s strategy of framing political discourse, asserting that notions of \u201chateful\u2063 rhetoric\u201d or \u201cmisinformation\u201d are used to\u2062 suppress opposition \u2064narratives and silence dissent.  <\/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<div>\n<p>Political violence has long been a part of American life, but recent events, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second<\/a> attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, have ignited a debate over the role of rhetoric in encouraging such violence.<\/p>\n<p>It should be clear to anyone who has been paying attention since Trump announced his candidacy for president back in 2015 that the left&rsquo;s consistent use of incendiary language (framing him as a Russian agent, as literally <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/newrepublic\/status\/1810009748697448541\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hitler<\/a>, and as an existential threat to America and democracy) doesn&rsquo;t just dehumanize him. It also fosters a volatile climate where political violence against him and his supporters becomes justifiable &mdash; especially to individuals who increasingly see themselves as &ldquo;defenders of democracy&rdquo; or &ldquo;anti-fascists.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The left, however, doesn&rsquo;t see it that way. In fact, even after a second assassination attempt, Democrats and the media still believe it is not their rhetoric that is to blame for the attempts on Trump&rsquo;s life, but rather Trump himself.<\/p>\n<p>Hours after the second assassination attempt was reported, &ldquo;Nightly News&rdquo; anchor Lester Holt went on the air and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/nbcs-lester-holt-trump-assassination-attempt-follows-campaigns-increasingly-fierce-rhetoric\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stated<\/a>: &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s apparent assassination attempt comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-didnt-lower-temp-between-trump-assassination-attempts\/\" title=\"Dems Didn&#039;t \u2018Lower Temp\u2019 Between Trump Assassination Attempts\">amid increasingly fierce rhetoric<\/a> on the campaign trail itself. Mr. Trump, his running mate, J.D. Vance, continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-no-donald-trump-did-not-win-every-state-except-new-york-in-the-2020-election\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: No, Donald Trump Did Not Win Every State Except New York In The 2020 Election\">make baseless claims<\/a> about Haitian immigrants in [Springfield,] Ohio. This weekend, there were new bomb threats in that town.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joined in, once again <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/jean-pierre-scorched-utterly-heinous-response-defending-biden-harris-rhetoric-calling-trump-threat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calling<\/a> Trump a &ldquo;threat.&rdquo; In response, Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre, &ldquo;How many more assassination attempts on Donald Trump until the president and vice president and you pick a different word to describe Trump, other than &lsquo;threat?&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jean-Pierre proceeded to attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/press-briefings\/2024\/09\/17\/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-69\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gaslight<\/a> all those on the right with similar concerns. &ldquo;The question that you&rsquo;re asking &hellip; is also incredibly dangerous in the way that you&rsquo;re asking it,&rdquo; said Jean-Pierre, &ldquo;because American people are watching &hellip; Because it &mdash; your question involved a comment and a statement &mdash; and, you know, it is &mdash; that is also incredibly dangerous when we have been very clear in &mdash; in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspected-shooter-and-rallygoer-dead-at-trump-rally-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Suspected shooter and rallygoer dead at Trump rally - Washington Examiner\">condemning political violence<\/a> from here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, to the left, repeatedly lying and calling Trump an existential threat to America is not dangerous, regardless of the number of attempts on Trump&rsquo;s life. The real danger only arises when someone questions whether those on the left should stop lying about Trump and moderate <em>their<\/em> rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this framing does not apply to those on the right when they legitimately express concern over the chaos caused by a massive influx of 20,000 Haitian immigrants into Springfield, Ohio. It is then, as Lester Holt alluded, that words magically become violence once again, even when no one is directly targeting Haitian immigrants, and, as Gov. Mike DeWine noted in a Sept. 16 press conference, all 33 separate bomb threats received at that time had turned out to be <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-vance-haitian-immigrants-springfield-ohio-threats-d74b7ff56f9a45d9389d8ebee4af1652\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hoaxes<\/a>, with many coming from overseas.<\/p>\n<p>Springfield citizens have passionately expressed their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cincinnati.com\/story\/opinion\/contributors\/2024\/09\/16\/springfield-ohio-haiti-immigrants-frustrations\/75250279007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concerns<\/a> over mass immigration in op-eds and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/10\/flood-of-more-than-20000-haitian-migrants-wreaks-havoc-in-ohio-town\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">city commission meetings<\/a>, which included alleged incidents involving wildlife. And so, Trump and Vance have rightfully highlighted their plight.<\/p>\n<p>Whether various forms of wildlife are being eaten by Haitian immigrants is seemingly up for debate as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/-just-exploded-springfield-woman-says-never-meant-spark-rumors-haitian-rcna171099\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statements<\/a> from residents have been walked back after immense social pressure; however, the adverse effects of mass immigration on small towns and cities like Springfield, Ohio, are not debatable. But because the left has been able to seize upon the ambiguity around pets being eaten, the entire discussion around what mass immigration is doing to towns across America is now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/09\/17\/harris-trump-springfield-ohio-migrants-vance-nabj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">labeled<\/a> as &ldquo;hateful rhetoric&rdquo; and even &ldquo;misinformation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This plays to the left&rsquo;s desire, and ability, to censor its political opposition while establishing its narratives as the only acceptable form of discourse.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, Hillary Clinton recently came out in support of <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/newsroom\/hillary-clinton-jail-americans-who-post-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">jailing<\/a> Americans who post &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; for &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-asserts-he-had-every-right-to-interfere-with-2020-election-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump asserts he had \u2018every right\u2019 to interfere with 2020 election - Washington Examiner\">election interference&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and yet has no reservations in falsely tying Trump to Project 2025 &mdash; in which he was not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/conservatism\/commentary\/the-stories-democrats-tell-about-project-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involved<\/a> &mdash; and promoting the claim that Trump desires to be a dictator, which is taken out of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/trump-i-wont-be-dictator-if-i-become-us-president-again-2023-12-06\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">context<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Are these claims from Clinton a form of misinformation designed to influence our elections? Of course they are, but the right doesn&rsquo;t have control of the infrastructure behind mass media, and so Clinton speaks without being fact-checked &mdash; as Kamala Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4879842-false-claims-harris-trump-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">did<\/a> during her debate with Trump, where every lie from Harris also went unchallenged.<\/p>\n<p>The left has cultivated a powerful monopoly on both political violence as a form of acceptable protest and the control of what constitutes &ldquo;inflammatory&rdquo; and &ldquo;hateful&rdquo; rhetoric, using both as tools to undermine their opponents on the right. They have, in effect, weaponized words and their meaning.<\/p>\n<p>The media, serving as an appendage of the ruling regime, play a crucial role in amplifying leftist narratives, justifying the left&rsquo;s actions while framing any challenge from the right as the actual &ldquo;danger.&rdquo; This imbalance, where the left wields both incendiary rhetoric and actual violence to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-tyrannical-regimes-that-relied-on-gun-confiscation-to-maintain-power\/\" title=\"4 Tyrannical Regimes That Relied On Gun Confiscation To Maintain Power\">attack political opponents<\/a> while controlling the narrative around both, threatens the very future of our country.<\/p>\n<p>Without a commitment to toning down the incendiary rhetoric and restoring a semblance of balance in news reporting &mdash; both of which the left has no interest in doing &mdash; the risk of a catastrophic incident of political violence will only increase.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Adam Johnston is a contributor to The Federalist whose work has been featured in The Blaze, WrongSpeak Publishing, and Man&rsquo;s World Magazine. He is also the creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conquesttheory.com\/\">conquesttheory.com,<\/a>   where he regularly writes about politics, history, philosophy, and technology. You can find him on X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ConquestTheory\">@ConquestTheory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Political violence has been a longstanding issue in the United States, but recent incidents, such as a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, have sparked discussions about how rhetoric may incite such violence. Observers since Trump&#8217;s 2015 presidential campaign launch have noted that the left&#8217;s frequent use of inflammatory language\u2014depicting him as a Russian agent, comparing him to Hitler, and labeling him an existential threat to America and democracy\u2014does more than just dehumanize him; it creates a dangerous environment where political violence against Trump and his supporters can seem justified. This is particularly true for those who view themselves as &#8220;defenders of democracy&#8221; or &#8220;anti-fascists.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>However, many on the left do not share this perspective. Even after another assassination attempt, Democrats and media figures continue to assert that Trump&#8217;s own actions are responsible for these threats rather than their rhetoric. For instance, shortly after the latest attempt was reported, NBC&#8217;s Lester Holt remarked that it coincided with increasingly aggressive campaign rhetoric from Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio\u2014a town recently facing bomb threats.<\/p>\n<p>White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed this sentiment by labeling Trump a &#8220;threat.&#8221; When Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy questioned how many more assassination attempts would warrant changing their description of Trump from &#8220;threat,&#8221; Jean-Pierre responded defensively by suggesting that questioning their language was itself dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>This indicates that for some on the left, calling Trump an existential threat is not seen as harmful despite ongoing attempts on his life; instead, they view any challenge to their narrative as potentially dangerous. Conversely, when individuals on the right express concerns about issues like mass immigration\u2014specifically regarding 20,000 Haitian immigrants arriving in Springfield\u2014their words are quickly labeled violent or hateful.<\/p>\n<p>Residents of Springfield have voiced legitimate worries about mass immigration through op-eds and city meetings while raising concerns over wildlife interactions. Although claims about pets being harmed have been retracted under social pressure, there remains no debate over the negative impacts of mass immigration on small towns like Springfield. Yet discussions around these issues are often dismissed by the left as \u201chateful rhetoric\u201d or \u201cmisinformation,\u201d allowing them to control narratives while censoring opposing viewpoints.<\/p>\n<p>Hillary Clinton has even suggested imprisoning Americans who spread what she calls \u201cmisinformation\u201d related to elections while simultaneously making unfounded accusations against Trump regarding Project 2025\u2014a project he had no part in\u2014and claiming he seeks dictatorial power without context.<\/p>\n<p>These statements from Clinton certainly qualify as misinformation aimed at swaying public opinion during elections; however, because conservatives lack control over mainstream media platforms for fact-checking purposes\u2014as evidenced during Kamala Harris\u2019s unchallenged debate lies\u2014they go unchecked.<\/p>\n<p>The left has effectively monopolized both political violence framed as acceptable protest and what constitutes \u201cinflammatory\u201d or \u201chateful\u201d speech to undermine right-wing opponents. They have weaponized language itself along with its implications.<\/p>\n<p>The media acts almost like an extension of this ruling ideology by amplifying progressive narratives while framing conservative challenges as genuine threats. This imbalance allows those on the left to wield incendiary language alongside actual violence against political adversaries while controlling public perception around both issues\u2014a situation that poses significant risks for our nation&#8217;s future.<\/p>\n<p>Without efforts from all sides to reduce inflammatory discourse and restore balance in news coverage\u2014which seems unlikely given current trends\u2014the likelihood of severe political violence will only grow<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3120,"featured_media":2345146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Copy-of-Untitled-2024-09-23T114143.347.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[24618,14806,3691,5894,35626],"class_list":["post-2345145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-double-standards","tag-gaslighting","tag-left","tag-politics","tag-violent-rhetoric"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Copy-of-Untitled-2024-09-23T114143.347.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345145","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\/3120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2345145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2345146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}