Iowa GOP Chair: Political parties should work to lower rhetoric

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, who will give the speech this week formally nominating Donald Trump to be elected president, expressed shock and disbelief at Saturday’s apparent assassination attempt of the former president during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

The shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say. The FBI identified a 20-year-old man as the suspected shooter.

A former fire chief attending the rally with family was killed, as was the gunman. Two other spectators also were critically wounded, according to the Associated Press.

Kaufmann said the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee, will proceed as a “four-day commercial for Donald Trump.”

He said the news and images from Saturday’s shooting were “surreal” and “hard to believe.”

“Understanding that this has to be dealt with swiftly and condemned strongly,” Kaufmann said. “And it looks like, right now, that’s happening on both” sides of the political spectrum, “which at least, will be able to possibly help to prevent this in the future.”

Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who endorsed Trump ahead of the January Iowa caucuses, also will speak at the RNC.

Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a statement released Saturday, said she also will be in Milwaukee and “will proudly stand with him (Trump) and our party.”

“As President Trump showed when he walked off the stage, we will not cower to such terror,” Reynolds said in her statement. “… America will get through this, together, and President Trump will lead us into the next four years.”

Kaufmann said he has “not changed one semicolon” and will proceed with his speech focusing on the importance of Iowa’s role in the presidential nominating process and keeping Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status on the Republican presidential primary calendar, the need for change in the White House and the promises of a second Trump presidency he said would help cut spending, cut taxes, support law enforcement and enhance border security.

“I don’t want the tone to change,” he said of the RNC in the wake of Saturday’s attack.

“I think it’s important to be honest with you that we proceed really with the same message that we were always going to proceed with,” he said. “ … We cannot allow one person to change the practice of our democracy, and that means whether it’s here in Milwaukee for the Republicans, or, as far as that goes, God forbid, in Chicago with the Democrats. I just think both political parties need to continue with what we were going to do in our time-honored tradition of our conventions.”

Kaufmann spoke to The Gazette by phone after driving into Milwaukee for the RNC.

“There is police everywhere,” he said. “I mean, once you get close to the perimeter, it is everywhere. I passed through two checkpoints. I don’t know if that was planned already. I believe it was.”

He said both political parties should work to lower the political temperature and heated rhetoric in the presidential race, and strongly condemn political violence in the aftermath of the shooting.

Kaufmann, who has repeatedly disparaged President Joe Biden and Democrats as endangering the country and claimed Democrats would try to steal elections in Iowa if given the chance, called for unity and respectful dialogue in the face of political disagreements.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “I’ve been to several of those (Trump) rallies, so I can almost place myself in the situation of that pandemonium. And, wow. My heart goes out for him. And I would say that whether it was a Trump rally or a Biden event — or you name it — that there’s no time for anybody to even give a second thought of danger that might face people when they’re going to practice their democracy.”

Former President Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders from both major political parties recoiled from the shooting that left Trump wounded but “fine.” Iowa politicians were quick to react to the shooting, offering prayers and support for the former president.

Biden, who is running against Trump, was briefed on the attack and spoke to Trump several hours after the shooting, the White House said.

“There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” Biden said late Saturday. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”

Many Republicans, including some vying to be Trump’s running mate, quickly blamed the violence on Biden and his allies, arguing that sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy have created a toxic environment. They pointed in particular to a comment Biden made to donors on July 8, saying “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.”

Republican former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, posted on social media without knowledge of the shooter’s motivations: “This was an assassination attempt aided and abetted by the radical Left and corporate media incessantly calling Trump a threat to democracy, fascists, or worse.”

Georgia Republican Congressman Mike Collins baselessly accused Biden for the apparent assassination attempt against his political rival.

“Joe Biden sent the orders,” U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

There is no evidence that President Biden was involved in the shooting. Biden’s comment to donors on July 8 referred to beating Trump in the election.

“Look, this is a full contact sport that we’re in,” Kaufmann said. “… And I don’t expect that is going to change in the presidential race. But when you move beyond to the next level of name calling, that’s what I think we can do to lower the temperature right now. We got to get through a convention, but I think that’s something that both parties can actually work on together.”

Asked whether we will see a change in tone and rhetoric from Trump — who has described his domestic opponents as “vermin” and said immigration is “poisoning the blood” of the U.S., echoing fascist dictators — Kaufmann said: “Right now, as a grandfather and a father and a husband, my guess is he’s thanking God above that he was saved, not necessarily the tone of his rhetoric.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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