Stephanopoulos explodes when Johnson refused to condemn the Trump family's anger following assassination attempt
On Sunday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) responded to ABC presenter George Stephanopoulos's questioning regarding Eric Trump's assertion that Democrats were responsible for the numerous assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.
Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts since July 13, with one shooter being slain on the scene and the other being apprehended.
During an appearance on ABC's "This Week," Stephanopoulos inquired about Johnson's stance on Eric Trump's remarks, which the host claimed attributed responsibility to Democrats for the near-assassinations, as The New York Post reported.
Stephanopoulos questioned whether it was ethical to do so after Johnson had urged both parties to moderate their rhetoric: “I just saw the clip. I was at an event in Texas last night, so I didn’t watch all the remarks from Pennsylvania … I don’t know the context,” Johnson said.
More from Johnson
“The clip that I just heard, that you just played there, George. I don’t think they’re saying that the Democratic Party tried an assassination attempt. I think what they’re alluding to is what we’ve all been saying,” he said.
The top Republican lawmaker in the House of Representatives, and someone who holds the position of being third in line for the presidency, offered more perspective for how Democrat rhetoric could be impacting the nation.
“They have got to turn the rhetoric down. For years now, the leading Democrats in this country, the highest elected officials and the current nominee for president, have gone out and said that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy that the Republic will end if he’s re-elected,” Johnson said.
Danger of the Rhetoric
“It’s absolute nonsense, and they have incited dangerous people to do dangerous things. The rhetoric has, I think that is a fact, that’s objective that everybody can agree to," Johnson went on, pointing to the possible fallout.
"We do need to turn the volume down. We have to have vigorous debates about policy, but not take it to that level. No one involved in this is a threat to the Republic,” he continued.
The House Speaker repeatedly claimed he didn't "know the context" of the clip when Stephanopoulos kept asking if Johnson supported Eric Trump's remarks.
The ABC anchor then exclaimed, "You just saw it, sir!" in reference to the clip shown prior, following Johnson's defense of Eric Trump's character.
Playing Defense
“I saw your clip of it, George. I didn’t see the full speech. We need to all look at these things in full context. What they’re referring to, though, is the absolute open attacks that have been engaged by Democrats against President Trump since the day he came down that golden escalator in 2016 … They have attacked him in every single way … People have had enough of this,” Johnson said.
The House speaker said that it was time for "everybody on all sides to turn the rhetoric down … Let’s talk about the policies, not the personalities. That’s what the American people demand to deserve. These are serious issues the country is facing,” Johnson added.
“We need to be talking about the ideas and the answers and the solutions to get out of them, and not all this other stuff.”