LETTER: Divisive rhetoric
Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 30, 2026
Americans across the country watched in horror as a deranged individual attempted to assassinate our president.
It was the third attempt to kill President Trump.
How could this happen?
In today’s political climate, the language we use matters.
Could the divisive rhetoric that the liberal press or the politicians on the other side of the aisle use daily have anything to do with it?
In the past month, I have heard them use terms to describe President Trump as authoritarian, a king, a fascist, a Nazi, a racist, a white supremacist, xenophobic, dangerous, a demagogue, corrupt, divisive, a threat to democracy and unfit for office.
Words are not harmless.
Repeated day after day in headlines, speeches and commentary, this kind of rhetoric shapes perception and fuels anger.
When political opponents are portrayed not simply as wrong but as existential threats or evil figures, it lowers the barrier for unstable individuals to justify extreme actions.
It is time for all sides, especially those with the loudest platforms, to take responsibility and turn down the temperature.
Vigorous debate is essential to democracy, but demonization is not.
If we fail to restore some level of civility and restraint, we risk further dividing the country and inviting consequences none of us should want.
Eric Mahnerd
Sequim
