Don’t Blame ‘the Media’ for Reporting Your Own Violent Language

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Baptist News Global | July 14, 2024.

Boston Globe reporter James Pindell stood in front of the press riser in the 91-degree heat as the gun smoke settled and Donald Trump rose up with blood running down his cheek, pumped his fist, and yelled, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” The crowd, understandably in shock, began to roar back.

“After Trump had been escorted to his car and people sensed the rally was over and they were safe, the crowd turned on the media,” Pindell wrote. “The crowd was angry. Middle fingers were everywhere. They asked the press if they were happy and blamed the media.”

Video footage confirms Pindell’s experience. As Trump was lowered into his SUV, the crowd began yelling “F*** you!” to the journalists documenting these historic events.

One man raged, “This is your fault!” Pointing at individual members of the media, he screamed, “You! You! And you and you! This is your fault! Every last one of y’all! This is your fault!” Others chimed in, echoing his words before police officers broke it up.

Then GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene chimed in, appearing on the far-right, conspiracy theory peddling network “Real America’s Voice” and posting on X: “TO THE MEDIA: THIS IS YOUR FAULT. They demonized us, they called us Nazis, and they spent the past decade inciting violence against us. They do it every day, and yesterday they got what they wanted, an assassination attempt on President Trump and one of his supporters murdered.”

Giving space for initial over-reaction

Of course, I want to give space to people being angry and saying some over-reactionary things about the assassination attempt on Trump yesterday. Violence is never OK. And no matter what any of us feel about Trump, he doesn’t deserve to get shot and his supporters don’t deserve to be killed. So we all should be angry. And if we have any empathy for our Trump-supporting neighbors as humans, we should give them some space to react and perhaps overreact.

But it’s completely wrong for Trump fans to blame the shooting on the media.

The use of violence metaphors

There is plenty of blame to go around for the violent language that’s been utilized in American politics. Many will point to President Joe Biden saying just this past week, “It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.” While I don’t believe that’s proof of the conspiracies claiming Biden directly commanded the shooting, I agree that his words were a serious problem. It is never OK to use violence metaphors.

“The overwhelming majority of the violence language used in modern politics is being promoted by Trump and the white evangelicals who support him.”

But let’s not kid ourselves here. The overwhelming majority of the violence language used in modern politics is being promoted by Trump and the white evangelicals who support him.

The New Apostolic Reformation apostles and prophets who met with Trump officials at the White House one week before the January 6 insurrection attempt referred to their meeting and said to “get ready to gallop and get your sword bloody.”

“Put your foot on his chin and expose the neck,” they yelled. “Pick up that weapon and find you are strong enough to wield it. Finish this! Finish this! I say, finish this!”

They also screamed referring to Biden, “Expose the neck, swing the sword, finish the job. For God says, no chicken-legged Philistine is going to become the most powerful political leader in the world!”

Angel Studios, the movie company promoted by Trump and QAnon last year, is coming out with a movie this November that Eric Metaxas is supporting. It’s called Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy Assassin. They wrongly claim Dietrich Bonhoeffer plotted “the assassination of an evil tyrant,” and then ask, “How far will you go to stand up for what’s right?”

One of the top worship songs sung by white evangelical congregations over the past few months contains the lyrics, “Praise is the water my enemies drown in.”

While Greene claims those on the left are demonizing the right, the reality is the Religious Right claims those on the left are being controlled by literal demons.

The violent rhetoric about civil wars and second revolutions that will remain bloodless “if the left allows it to be” are overwhelmingly coming from the right. So Trump fans can’t respond to this shooting without any self-reflection and instead blame the media for reporting when their side overwhelmingly pushes this language.

The media should expose more

Why does the general public not know that four of the six permits used on January 6 were handed out to these independent charismatic Christian groups that called out militias to get their swords bloody in the lead up to the insurrection and sang worship songs about God crushing the enemy at the Capitol while it was being attacked? And why are most people not aware of the militia groups being trained by Traditional Latin Mass Catholics who have ties to Timothy McVeigh?

“The real problem with the media (is) … they haven’t done enough to expose the violent rhetoric and militia promotion of the right.”

Why are we just recently beginning to explore Project 2025 and open discussions about the theological underpinnings of Christian nationalism?

The real problem with the media isn’t that they caused the assassination attempt yesterday, but that they haven’t done enough to expose the violent rhetoric and militia promotion of the right.

It’s the media’s job to report what Trump says and does

Here’s the truth: Trump has said and done horrific things to people. If you deny that, your head is in the sand. You can’t expect the media not to report the things he’s said and done. That’s the media’s job. If you want your side to get less negative press, then choose a candidate who says and does less horrific things.

The media won’t report that your candidate bragged about grabbing women’s genitals if you choose a candidate who doesn’t brag about grabbing women’s genitals.

But Trump has been conditioning his supporters for years to hate the media. Rather than getting caught up in his anti-media rage, that should be a red flag for those who care about the First Amendment and freedom.

None of this should change anyone’s vote

The fact that Trump got shot should have no bearing on whether or not he should be president. He has still said and done horrific things to people. And he’s still key to Project 2025’s plans for a Christian theocracy. To suddenly be like, “Well, he got shot so I’m going to vote for him now” is a dumb reason to vote for him.

Let’s be angry about what happened. But let’s also be honest.

White evangelicals need to stop using the violence language of spiritual warfare in their worship, entertainment and political rhetoric because it increases the temperature in the room to where somebody may act violently. The media needs to do more to expose how theologies of violence are fueling violent language and actions. And Trump fans need to have some self-reflection rather than throwing middle fingers up and raging at the media.

Rick Pidcock is a 2004 graduate of Bob Jones University, with a bachelor of arts degree in Bible. He’s a freelance writer based in South Carolina and a former Clemons Fellow with BNG. He completed a master of arts degree in worship from Northern Seminary. He is a stay-at-home father of five children and produces music under the artist name Provoke Wonder. Follow his blog at www.rickpidcock.com.