ST. LOUIS – Perhaps Donald Trump’s closest confidant in St. Louis told FOX 2 that something needs to be fixed after the second attempt on the former president’s life in a span of about two months.
Missouri’s Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt spoke Monday about what Schmitt called a “scary” and “dangerous” turn in our politics.
“We still need to get answers of how this stuff’s happening and how people are allowed to get that close. We want to praise the secret service agents themselves, but there’s something going on here that needs to get fixed as it relates to planning,” Schmitt said.
Federal authorities note the suspect was arrested without ever firing a shot as the former president was golfing only 300 to 400 yards away from where that suspect was, allegedly waiting with a rifle and scope, just outside the golf course’s fence.
It was only two months ago that Schmitt was with Trump at the Republican National Convention, just days after Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally, the bullet narrowly missing his head.
“I still think of that image of him standing up; his first instinct was to stand up on that stage and let his supporters know that he was OK and continue to ‘fight, fight, fight’… and I’ve gotten to know him,” Schmitt said. “This whole idea that the country’s going to end if President Trump gets elected in November is a little over the top. We hear way too much about ‘Trump is a literal Nazi. He is a fascist. He wants to destroy democracy. He’s going to burn the constitution on day 1. He’s going to be a dictator,’ All of that stuff is nonsense.”
Perhaps this was a sign of change: as the suspect in this second assassination attempt appeared in federal court, Schmitt’s Democrat colleague from neighboring Illinois, Sen. Dick Durbin, echoed Schmitt’s call for political opponents to dial things back.
“As I’ve said many times, there’s no place for violence in our country, no matter what the motive. It must come to an end,” Durbin said from the Senate floor.
“We’ve always resolved in this country to resolve our differences at the ballot box and through free speech, not this way (through violence),” Schmitt said.
Schmitt is a potential candidate for Trump’s cabinet as Attorney General, should he win the election. Schmitt steered clear of any impact this second assassination attempt could have on the election’s outcome, though he did say resilience was Donald Trump’s strong suit.
