What Trump can learn from Honest Abe's rhetoric
Following last week’s assassination attempt of Donald Trump—the second in three months—a good many pundits in the corporate media suggested Trump should tone down his rhetoric.
They essentially implied that much of the trigger-happy hostility directed at Trump is brought on by the orange man himself. The national dialogue could use some cooling, and it begins with the 45th president.
Whether or not you agree with their recommendation, historical precedent indicates they may have a point.
For proof, we go back to the evening of April 14, 1865, in Washington, D.C. President Abraham Lincoln and wife Mary Todd were sitting in the presidential box at Ford’s Theater watching a performance of the comedy Our American Cousin. At a little past 10 p.m., actor John Wilkes Booth snuck up on the president and fired a single bullet into the back of his head.
Booth reportedly jumped onto the stage and bellowed, “Sic semper tyrannis” (“thus always to tyrants”). He then evacuated the theater and put himself in grave danger by carelessly hopping into an Uber without even checking the plates.
While some individuals tended to the ailing president, the national press corps jumped into full gear, thankful to finally have something to talk about since there just wasn’t much going on in the United States in the 1860s.
“President Lincoln’s rhetoric is to blame,” exclaimed the broad consensus of journalists and talking heads. “He needs to tone things down.”
Lincoln took heed of the press corps’ suggested remedy. He indeed toned down his rhetoric—so much so, in fact, that many people reported never hearing the president speak again. The few words he did muster were greatly softened, almost strained in a way.
President Trump will no doubt choose his own way of responding to the recent attempts on his life. But he could learn a thing or two from Honest Abe’s approach, as it did prove successful: Following the events of April 14, 1865—and the toning down of his rhetoric—Abraham Lincoln was never shot again.