'Look in the mirror': Expert on political violence calls out MAGA for unleashing on 'moderate GOP'

When former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, July 15, many prominent Democrats — including President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) — quickly condemned the violence in no uncertain terms. Far-right Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), however, blamed Biden for the attack.

The shooting is raising fears that more violence will follow the attempt on Trump's life.

In an interview with Politico's Catherine Kim, Rachel Kleinfeld — an expert on political violence — called out MAGA Republicans who are helping create an intense environment in the United States.

READ MORE: Assassination attempt likely to make Trump voters even more energized: experts

Asked if she was surprised by the attack in Western Pennsylvania, Kleinfeld responded, "Sadly, I am not surprised. Given the reality of a tenfold rise in threats against members of Congress, increases in violence and threats against everyone, from people running for school board to state legislators, the doubling of serious threats against judges — an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate was almost just a matter of time."

Kleinfeld continued, "When polarizing figures attempt to normalize political violence and make that a way in which they quiet moderates in their own party and opponents, they can't stop where that violence will go. And whether the shooter, who was a registered Republican, turns out to be acting from motives of the right or from the left, or was just a disturbed individual, we don't know. But once political violence is normalized, it spreads across the spectrum."

Asked if she fears the July 13 attack will lead to "further political violence," Kleinfeld responded, "It certainly could, but it could also be a shock to the system that leads regular Americans to realize that they need to stand up."

"A majority of Americans unequivocally condemn violence," Kleinfeld told Kim. "A majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle condemn every sort of political violence when you ask them, and their voices have been lost. The media has been amplifying the extremes, and our politicians have been amplifying the extremes."

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Kleinfeld cited Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) as two examples of lawmakers who have gone out of their way to inflame political tensions

"Political primaries are actually incentivizing extremism, and getting rid of political primaries and allowing people to run straight to a general electorate would help a lot," Kleinfeld observed. "When you have political leaders like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or so on, who are elected with less than 10 percent of their voting public because it's just a small primary base, then you're allowing more extreme positions to put political leaders in place, who then continue normalizing violence…. I hope that Americans will look in the mirror and not like what they see and start to change

READ MORE: 'Fascism feasts on violence': How 'martyr-in-chief' Trump will 'boost bid for power and vengeance'

Politico's full interview with Rachel Kleinfeld is available at this link.