President Trump Addresses Political Violence and Flag Honors Amid Criticism
President Trump discusses his response to political violence and addresses criticism over flag honors for slain lawmakers.
President Donald Trump stated on Monday that he would have ordered flags to be lowered in honor of Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated in June, if requested by the state's governor. The White House had previously lowered flags for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University. This discrepancy led to criticism regarding the administration's differing responses to the deaths of Kirk and Hortman.
When asked about the decision, President Trump said, "Had the governor of Minnesota asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly." In June, aboard Air Force One, he commented on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, stating, "The guy doesn't have a clue. He's a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?"
Addressing concerns about political violence, President Trump remarked, "I didn't say it was on one side. But I say the radical left causes tremendous violence, and they seem to do it in a bigger way. But the radical left really has caused a lot of problems for this country." He has attributed Kirk's shooting to "radical left political violence," though investigators have not disclosed a motive.
Notably, President Trump's examples of political violence have omitted recent attacks targeting Democrats, such as Hortman's death, the assault on Representative Nancy Pelosi's husband, and the arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence.
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