Comment on Trump Should Never Have Had This Platform

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Cheryl Shadden cannot sleep. The 61-year-old nurse, who works at hospitals giving patients anesthesia, says she is kept up at night by the nonstop mechanical whir of fans spinning to cool tens of thousands of computers.

Blame is being laid left and right for the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday that left the former President injured and a supporter dead. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Some have blamed Democrats’ rhetoric for fanning partisan tensions; conspiracy theorists baselessly suggest the incident was staged by Trump himself; and a growing cohort, particularly on the right, is zeroing in on the failures of the Secret Service and its supposed prioritization of “DEI”—the acronymous shorthand for initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, which Republicans have opposed across federal agencies, schools, and other organizations, as well as at the state level. Footage focused on the female agents in Trump’s security detail quickly gained traction on social media, along with re-circulated clips of a CBS report from 2023 that repeated the Secret Service’s goal to increase its representation of women to 30% by 2030. “DEI got someone killed,” the inflammatory account Libs of TikTok said in a post on X that’s been seen by millions. Secret Service Director a few months ago: We’re focusing on hiring more women to be more diverse.

The photograph of a bloodied Donald Trump with his fist in the air and an American flag looming in the background is quickly emerging as the pivotal image of Saturday’s shooting, and it wouldn’t exist without a journalist who acted quickly and on a hunch. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Video of the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally filled television screens before it was even clear what had happened.

The Trump shooter had some odd fascinations on social media.

President Ford had his two moments back in 1975.

Politicians are in shock after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Penn., on Saturday. As Trump was addressing the crowd, a series of loud pops rang in the air. Video footage showed Trump reaching for his right ear and lowering himself to the ground.