Republican Mark Sanford suggests Trump is 'partially' to blame for anger that incited Wednesday's shooting

Republican Rep. Mark Sanford (S.C.) suggested Thursday on MSNBC's Morning Joe that President Trump may be "partially" to blame for the anger and political hostility that led alleged shooter James Hodgkinson to gun down a congressional baseball practice Wednesday morning. "I would argue the president has unleashed, partially — again not in anyway totally — but partially to blame for demons that have been unleashed," Sanford said.
Sanford recalled how Trump once said he'd like to hit someone "in the face." "That's bizarre," Sanford said, arguing that "the fact that you've got the top guy saying" that sort of thing can lead others to follow suit. "They'll say, look, 'If the guy at the top can say anything to anybody at any time, why can't I?'" Sanford said.
He recounted how during a recent visit to a senior center in his home state he saw the residents swearing at each other. "What took place in terms of what people were saying to each other was like out of a movie," Sanford said, "and so we've got to find a way to dial this back."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Catch the Morning Joe segment below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardon
Feature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in Chicago
Feature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump: Taking over the private sector?
Feature Donald Trump has secured a 10% stake in Intel using funds from the Biden-era CHIPS Act
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play