In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life, video has surfaced of Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson saying in 2015 the donor class must “put a bullet in Donald Trump.”
In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes before Trump had secured the nomination, Wilson said “Trump is still a very powerful force right now” because of his “nativist” message appealing to the base, adding the GOP donor class “can’t just sit back on the sidelines and say, ‘oh well, don’t worry, this will all work itself out.’”
“They’re still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump,” Wilson said. “And that’s a fact.”
The video circulating of Wilson online identified the clip from 2023, but it actually occurred in 2015, which Breitbart News reported on at the time.
Rick Wilson said otherwise, said someone had to put a bullet in Trump.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) July 14, 2024
Fuck off.
pic.twitter.com/xWPJeyekVH
In another instance of extreme rhetoric that Breitbart News highlighted on Saturday, top Biden donor Reid Hoffman said he wished Trump would be a “martyr” prior to the shooting.
Peter Thiel sarcastically thanked Reid Hoffman for funding lawsuits against Trump because they had turned him into “a martyr,” increasing his chances of re-election.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) July 12, 2024
From the stage, Hoffman shot back with his own sarcastic quip: “Yeah, I wish I had made him an actual martyr.” https://t.co/c9u6ifLvaW
The Lincoln Project did, however, condemn the assassination attempt from its official Twitter account.
Political violence has no place in American life.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 13, 2024
Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), emphatically condemned the violence and wished former President Donald Trump well. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) condemned the violence as well.
Political violence is absolutely unacceptable.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 13, 2024
I wish Donald Trump, and anyone else who may have been hurt, a speedy recovery.
Violence has NO place in our democracy. My thoughts are with President Trump and everyone impacted at the rally today.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2024
Prior to the shooting, President Joe Biden, who also condemned the assassination, and his supporters emphasized that Trump would mean the end of democracy if he were elected.
