The editorial boards of the New York Times and the Washington Post are spreading the blame to both political parties for the assassination attempt on leading Republican politician President Donald Trump.
“It is now incumbent on political leaders of both parties, and on Americans individually and collectively, to resist a slide into further violence and the type of extremist language that fuels it,” the New York Times editorial board declared.
“Encouragingly, leaders of both political parties, including some with whom Mr. Trump has clashed, swiftly and unequivocally condemned the attack,” declared the Washington Post‘s editorial board, which added:
“We cannot be like this,” said President Biden. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called it “a heinous and evil act.”
The New York Times also spread the blame for the attack, saying:
Americans also must be cleareyed about the challenge that is confronting this nation. Saturday’s events cannot be written off as an aberration. Violence is infecting and inflecting American political life.
The two editorial boards did not mention, condemn, or apologize for the anti-Trump vitriol published in their pages.
The Washington Post has posted many articles comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler, who killed at least 20 million Russians — including millions of Jews — when he invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
In December 2023, for example, the Post published an op-ed by author Mike Godwin that described Trump as a would-be Hitler:
When people draw parallels between Donald Trump’s 2024 candidacy and Hitler’s progression from fringe figure to Great Dictator, we aren’t joking. Those of us who hope to preserve our democratic institutions need to underscore the resemblance before we enter the twilight of American democracy.
The headline was “Yes, it’s okay to compare Trump to Hitler. Don’t let me stop you.”
On the day of the assassination attempt, the Post‘s lead headline declared, “Biden Trains Fire on Trump.”
The board described itself:
The board highlights issues it thinks are important and responds to news events, mindful of stands it has taken in previous editorials and principles that have animated Post Editorial Boards over time … Editorial Board members don’t have any role in news coverage.
The New York Times has also posted many articles comparing Trump to Hitler, who invaded France and sent fleets of bombers to smash British cities in 1940.
In June 2024, for example, the newspaper’s TV critic wrote:
Hitler’s project: “Making Germany great again.” The Nazis’ characterization of criticism from the media: “Fake news.” Hitler’s mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden: “It’s sort of like Hitler’s Mar-a-Lago, if you will.”
In October 2017, the New York Times editorial page posted an editorial claiming “Trump is no Hitler, but the way he has manipulated the American people with outrageous lies, stacked one on top of the other, has an eerie historical resonance.”
The New York Times editorial board said it is:
…made up of opinion journalists who rely on research, debate and individual expertise to reach a shared view of important issues. The board does not speak for the newsroom or The Times as a whole. Rather, amid the contending individual voices of Times Opinion, it aims to provide a consistent, independent view of the world based on time-tested institutional values.
“The fearless exchange of information and ideas is the surest means of resisting tyranny and realizing human potential,” the board claimed.
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