Sanders condemns 'radical rhetoric' after Trump assassination attempt: 'Politics should be kind of boring'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., condemned both political violence and "radical rhetoric" after the assassination attempt on former President Trump.

During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sanders said political violence was "un-American."

"I think everybody in this country, no matter what their political views, wishes former President Trump a rapid and speedy recovery, mourns the loss of innocent lives and those who are wounded, and understands that political violence of any kind or shape or form is unacceptable. It is un-American," Sanders said. "And we've got to put an end to it. I think in this traumatic moment, it's time for all of us to take a deep breath, remember what this is about and what political campaigns are about. And they're about serious discussions of serious ideas as to how we address the serious problems facing this country. So let's use this moment if there's any silver lining in this tragedy. It's to figure out how do we go forward peacefully, constructively and intelligently?"

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Sanders went on to condemn "radical rhetoric," without specifying what that constituted. In the wake of the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed Trump's ear before Secret Service rushed him offstage, Republicans have criticized Democrats for their past rhetoric, deeming Trump an existential threat to democracy. A rally goer was killed, and two other men were critically wounded, authorities said.

The Secret Service fatally shot the would-be Trump assassin, who reportedly fired from a rooftop some 130 yards away from the rally.

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