A top adviser on the Kamala Harris campaign, David Plouffe, called for Donald Trump and "his kind" to be eliminated in a resurfaced tweet.
"It is not enough to simply beat Trump. He must be destroyed thoroughly. His kind must not rise again," Plouffe wrote.
The statement has come under fresh scrutiny after the second attempt to kill Trump in a matter of months.
The Trump campaign drew attention to the post, writing, “This guy is now a top official on Kamala Harris’ campaign."
A gunman targeted Trump at his Florida golf club on Sunday, just weeks after Trump narrowly survived assassination at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The gunman in the first attempt, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed at the scene, and the FBI has described his motive as unclear.
The suspect in the latest would-be assassination, Ryan Routh, has donated "exclusively" to Democrats since 2019 and his truck has a Biden-Harris bumper sticker, the New York Post reported. On social media, he has echoed liberal rhetoric characterizing Trump as a threat to democracy.
Kamala Harris blamed Trump for "the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War" during their debate on ABC News, which aired days before Routh attempted to ambush Trump.
Trump has blamed the incendiary rhetoric of Democrats including Harris for inspiring the second attempt on his life in a matter of weeks.
"Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!" Trump wrote in a post on X.
Politicians agreed to temper their rhetoric after Trump was blooded in Butler, Pennsylvania, but whatever goodwill came out of that shocking episode has since dissipated.
In fact, some Democrats have mocked Trump over the latest threat to his life while suggesting he brought it on himself.
Rachel Vindman, the wife of former Trump impeachment witness Alexander Vindman, joked that "no ears were harmed" in Sunday's attempt.
Senator Chris Murphy (D), of Connecticut, called the latest plot to kill Trump "heartbreaking" but added that Trump has "done more to inspire and endorse political violence" than anyone.
It's ok to admit these two things are both true at the same time:
1. It's heartbreaking and unacceptable that Donald Trump was once again the target of political violence.
2. No leader has done more to inspire and endorse political violence than Donald Trump.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 17, 2024
Just hours after Trump cheated death a second time, Hillary Clinton said he is a "danger to our country and the world."
