In a recent interview, Hunter Biden, son of the former president, made a controversial call for the left to intensify their rhetoric against the MAGA movement, despite the recent assassination of Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk.
This comes at a time when the political climate is already heated, with many calling for a reduction in extreme rhetoric from both sides.
According to The Blaze, during his conversation with Joshua Rubin, host of the "Wide Awake Podcast," Biden dismissed the idea of toning down the rhetoric. When asked if the conversation should be about reducing the temperature on both sides, Biden responded, "Yeah, no. That's not going to happen, Josh." He further added, "We need to turn the temperature up, and we need people to see ... it for what it is."
Biden's comments have sparked controversy, especially considering his past legal issues. Last year, his father pardoned him for his felony conviction on gun charges and tax offenses, among other things, between January 2014 and December 2024. Despite this, Biden seemed unphased, even prefacing his statement with, "I'm going to get myself in trouble for saying this."
His remarks come in the wake of a recent poll by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University's Social Perception Lab. The poll revealed that 55% of respondents who identified as left of center believed that assassinating Trump would be at least somewhat justified. Furthermore, 28% of Democrats told RMG Research that it would have been better if Trump had been gunned down during the September 2024 attempt on his life at his Florida golf course.
Biden's comments also reflect a broader sentiment among some Democrats. A recent Marist Poll found that 28% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "Americans may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track." This sentiment is echoed by Biden, who stated, "I do not believe that we are going to get to the bottom until we get to the bottom."
Despite his call for heightened rhetoric, Biden was quick to clarify that he was "100% not saying that it needs to be violence." However, he criticized liberal commentators such as CNN's Jake Tapper for not being antagonistic enough to the Trump administration.
Biden's comments come amid a rise in left-wing terrorist attacks and plots in the United States, as reported by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The first half of this year saw a significant increase in such incidents, with predictions that they are set to hit 30-year highs. Meanwhile, right-wing incidents have seen a significant decrease.
Biden's stance on the issue is clear. He believes that political extremism is predominantly a right-wing issue. He even questioned whether Charlie Kirk was assassinated because of his beliefs and whether the assassin was a leftist, suggesting instead that Kirk's killer was a disciple of right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes.
The debate over political rhetoric and its impact on violence continues to rage on. While some call for a reduction in extreme rhetoric, others, like Biden, believe that the temperature needs to be turned up. As the political climate continues to heat up, the question remains: How will this impact the future of American politics?
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