This concludes our live coverage for tonight. Stay tuned to PJ Media for all the latest news and analysis in the aftermath of the horrific attack on the Trump rally.
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Last night, I mentioned that Trump's would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crook, appeared to be wearing a shirt from Demolition Ranch. Matt Carricker runs the operation with more than 11 million YouTube followers. I've only watched it a few times, but the basic idea is that he shoots a lot of guns and blows stuff up at his Texas ranch. His Bunker Branding company describes it as "the the largest firearms channel... He got started by putting stupid videos on the internet and the epicness continues to this day!"
Now, he's likely got a tough road ahead, through no fault of his own. He posted on X today:
Sucks seeing articles about this and they are naming 3 people… the shooter, trump… and somehow me. Will make a public statement soon on YT. Still just in disbelief honestly
— DrMattCarriker (@DemolitionRanch) July 14, 2024
Last night was crazy… I’ve got news stations calling me asking if I ever spoke with the shooter… what… the… hell
— DrMattCarriker (@DemolitionRanch) July 14, 2024
No one knows if the shooter ever viewed his online content or if he wore the shirt to blend in with the crowd at the Trump rally. It's very possible.
If the feds haven't visited him already, they will likely be at his ranch soon. And we all know what comes next: There will be calls for YouTube to boot him off their platform, and YouTube will bow to the pressure from the Left. He will lose his livelihood "for the greater good" or whatever they're calling it now.
It probably won't help his case that his most recent video called for pushing YouTube's boundaries on things like displaying machine guns.
I'll be writing about this in more detail on Monday.
The Secret Service KNEW about the rooftop vulnerability days before the rally. (HT: Matt Vespa at Townhall):
The rooftop where a gunman shot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally was identified by the U.S. Secret Service as a potential vulnerability in the days before the event, sources familiar with the agency’s operations told NBC News. NBC News' Tom Winter reports. pic.twitter.com/OzTemxqORg
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 15, 2024
Why can't the media let go of January 6? Look no further than Pavlov and his dogs. Ivan Pavlov is best known for his scientific experimentation in conditional learning; using dogs, he conditioned them to associate the sound of a bell with being fed. Hear the bell, cue the salivary glands because it's time to eat. When these media outlets hear "Donald Trump," they're conditioned to parrot "JANUARY 6!" and "RUSSIAN COLLUSION!"
When the news broke that Donald Trump was the target of attempted murder, all they heard was "Donald Trump" and immediately went to "LITERALLY HITLER!" followed closely by "DIRECT THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!" Hear the prompt, cue the visceral reaction.
A central tenant of propaganda is to "repeat a lie long enough and it becomes the truth." Whether the media is complicit in the propaganda or simply a victim of power abuse is irrelevant. The only thing that matters now is making the facts great again.
I said facts, not truth, because the left is delusional enough to believe in multiple kinds of truth. "My truth" and "her truth" and "zir truth"—it's all subjective. Facts, however, are objective. There are X and Y chromosomes and you are born with two; that is a fact. The COVID-19 mask mandate damaged the natural neuropathy development of children; that is a fact. Don't tell any of that to a mainstream media addict, because all they care about is "their truth."
It's time to have an adult conversation about the elephant in the room — women in the Secret Service. The question must be asked: Was Trump's security detail compromised by diversity hires (women, gays, trans people, etc.)? In the case of women, it's indisputable that men are stronger and faster than women. No one but the hopelessly deluded DEI enforcer believes otherwise. Someone going by the moniker @eyeslasho posted this chart on X today:
It shows how the physical fitness standards are lower for female Secret Service trainees—in this case, pushups, with men's scores on the left. For a man to be considered "Excellent" in the 20s age group, he must complete 55 pushups; for a woman, it's only 40. Women can get away with only 26 pushups and still be considered "Good." (Note: a man in his 20s should be able to do WAY more than 55 pushups.)
Eyeslasho added, "Shockingly, a total of only 6 points is required to pass the four-element test," which includes pushups, sit-ups, chin-ups, and a 1.5 mile run. "And even if you don't score 6 points, you can still be admitted upon further 'review and recommendation.'"
"Overall, I'm not impressed by what is physically required of those who enter the Secret Service," he concluded.
Neither am I.
If I'm going to place my life in the hands of the Secret Service, I want the strongest, fastest, and best-trained agent possible. Women can be incredibly strong and fit (I know some who are absolute beasts in the gym) and can certainly be well-trained. But if I had to choose between a man and a woman of similar age and training, I'd go with the man every time. If someone's going to have to carry my lifeless body off a dais, I want the guy with bulging biceps and legs like tree trunks.
Please discuss in the comments. I'll be checking in throughout the evening. (See how to join below.)
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WEIGH IN IN THE COMMENTS: Should gun owners be held criminally accountable for crimes committed by others with their guns?
Some thoughts on Biden's latest address: First, he appeared to be hopped up on so much speed that he won't sleep for a week. (Look on the bright side. At least he'll be awake to take the 3 a.m. call.) The speech was reminiscent of his State of the Union address earlier this year, where he rushed through talking points, slurring as he went. The ups and downs (or is it uppers and downers?) of his recent public appearances and remarks are dizzying. This man is not well. One never knows which Biden we will get on any given day.
Second, this speech wouldn't have been bad coming from someone who wasn't one of American history's most divisive, vengeful individuals. Coming from Biden, it was hypocritical—and too little too late.
Finally, linking the J6 protests with an assassination attempt on the president of the United States was despicable and gave a lie to everything he said in the speech about unity and peacefully disagreeing.
I agreed with much of the speech and suspect most Americans will, too. The vast majority of Americans don't lead with rage and hate in their political discourse. They don't want to kill their political opponents. They want to see fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power. But there will always be some individuals—and groups—that won't settle for anything short of violence, and make no mistake, many of them are in Joe Biden's own party.
What was Biden trying to accomplish with his remarks? Was he trying to be the benevolent statesman leading his supplicants to peace, love, and unicorns? Or does he have some knowledge of additional plots against Trump and Republicans in the lead-up to the convention this week? Is he trying to call something back? We may never know the answer to that.
CNN now talking about the security plan and how things should have gone. I wrote earlier about what should have happened and what didn't... read it here
WEIGH IN IN THE COMMENTS: Should gun owners be held criminally accountable for crimes committed by others with their guns?
“I believe that with all my soul,” says Biden. Wouldn’t that require him to have a soul?
Joking aside, the message was meaningless because Biden accepted no responsibility for dividing the nation and for Democrats labeling Trump and his supporters as Nazis and terrorists
I totally agree, Catherine. Biden should have set an example by taking responsibility for his party.
What Biden SHOULD have done is apologize abjectly for inciting violent hatred against Trump for years.
Jake Tapper: That debate is still happening, even if it's not as loudly or publicly.
Dana Bash: I do believe that he didn't give this Oval Office address to further that...but it doesn't hurt.
Are other networks being as political as CNN?
CNN John King: "the thing that fascinates me is months and months and months that was relatively stagnant...the pause button has been hit on [the Joe Biden being replaced] conversation" << I did have that on my Bingo card!
What Biden SHOULD have done is apologize abjectly for inciting violent hatred against Trump for years.
CNN John King: "the thing that fascinates me is months and months and months that was relatively stagnant...the pause button has been hit on [the Joe Biden being replaced] conversation" << I did have that on my Bingo card!
I didn't have RUSSIAN HOAX on my Bingo card - did you?
David Urban: "he looked presidential" -- were we watching the same guy? "Hopefully on the stage this week, we're going to see a message of unity." << Do you think Donald Trump is going to sing kumbayah with Democrats after they spoke violently about him for 8 years?
Dana Bash: "he didn't back down about warning about the end of democracy"
Ashley Allison: "I'm glad he didn't back down."
Dana Bash: "he didn't back down about warning about the end of democracy"
Ashley Allison: "I'm glad he didn't back down."
CNN is talking about January 6th and how the President "has done his share to put us where we are." Give a point to the Babylon Bee!
"Rule of Law is respected" unless your a Clinton
I didn't have RUSSIAN HOAX on my Bingo card - did you?
I didn't have RUSSIAN HOAX on my Bingo card - did you?
I'm sorry, but how is the motive "unclear"? He tried to shoot the former president and current GOP nominee in the head. To kill him. Why else would someone try to shoot a person? It's not like it was a warning shot situation.
"Former Trump" is not seriously injured...
CNN is talking about January 6th and how the President "has done his share to put us where we are." Give a point to the Babylon Bee!
The shooter certainly gave the media a gift by being a “registered Republican.” That could indeed have been planned on his part
Catherine, it's not passing the smell test for me at all. Maybe he registered Republican just because he knew that the corrupt media would have a field day with it.
Kruiser, I agree the “registered Republican” fact could have a lot of explanations. For instance, perhaps the shooter registered as a Republican not because of right-leaning political beliefs, but so he could vote in primaries?
Interesting perspective. I would hazard a guess, however, that many of those pretending to be empathetic now actually would like to see Trump killed. Hasn’t their rhetoric indicated as much? Those in Democrat leadership faking sympathy are almost worse than those who are saying they wish the shooter hadn’t missed. The hypocrisy is blatant
Dems are in a real conundrum. If Trump is really an evil super villain dictator who wants to destroy our system of government or whatever then assassinating him would be morally justified. But they don’t want to justify this, which means they’re confessing that everything they…
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 14, 2024
The MSM hacks love saying that the shooter is a registered Republican. I'm curious as to how long he's been registered. I'm full tinfoil hat on this one.
Remember when Rush used to say that Obama didn't need to tell his flacks in the Deep State what to do? They knew without being told and carried out his will.
NEW: Staffer for Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) no longer employed after social media post insinuating that Trump’s shooter shouldn’t have missed. @BennieGThompson statement:
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 14, 2024
“I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment.” pic.twitter.com/3JhmZYYjCb
From our Townhall colleague Katie Pavlich:
Townhall’s @KatiePavlich following the Secret Service's first presser since the assassination attempt against former President Trump:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 14, 2024
“The fact that Secret Service isn’t giving any detail is a real problem...the American people deserve a lot of answers, and, most importantly,… pic.twitter.com/P6Fu8oXXwx
Frum tends to get everything wrong, but this is the worst I've seen from him. The stuff about Trump supporters open-carrying is just nonsensical. Then again, hacks like Frum are nothing without their false premises and false equivalencies.