As people who live in a fallen world with prevailing hatred and violence, it’s great to see politicians speak out against these issues that run rampant in our country.
But many of the same hypocrites who tell us to strive for peace continue stirring division, strife, and anger through their words and actions. How can they vehemently cry for unity when their actions so obviously strive for discord?
Exposing the duplicitous statements of the Left is necessary to reveal their lack of consistency as a political party and ideological group.
‘Condemning Violence Is Important’
According to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), “Condemning violence is important, but it is not enough. We must also confront the toxic forces radicalizing individuals, and we must do more to protect one another, our democracy, and the values that bind us as Americans.”
What are the “toxic forces” he is referring to? Well, we could argue that Schumer himself acts as one of these “toxic forces” as he encourages unnecessary fear and hatred within his supporters by using inflamed and oftentimes false language.
When President Trump sent the U.S. Marines into the violent and devastated streets of California in the early days of June, Schumer posted on X, “Trump’s order deploying active-duty Marines to an American city is outrageous. It’s unnecessary. It reeks of authoritarianism. That’s what authoritarian dictators do.”
Comparing the President of the United States — the leader of the freest country in the world — to an “authoritarian dictator” such as Stalin or Hitler is one of the most obvious examples of a “toxic” force that can only be topped by some of the following statements of other Democratic leaders.
Schumer’s toxicity and violence-inducing language is clear in his X post about the recent altercation involving Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference. He wrote, “The way agents treated Senator Padilla is what you see in totalitarian regimes. It is outrageous that Secretary Noem let this happen, then lied about the incident after the fact.”
But the minority leader failed to mention that Padilla had the right to ask questions if he would’ve simply sat down and showed decorum like everyone else in the room, instead of rushing up to the podium and yelling at Noem as though being a senator makes him entitled to circumventing the press conference process.
‘The Culture of Violence … Must End’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) posted on X, “The culture of violence that has been created by political extremists in this country must end” in response to the horrific shooting of two Minnesota state legislators.
If this is Jeffries’s belief, why does he seek to tear down the very agencies that protect the state he represents? “Every single ICE agent who’s engaged in this aggressive overreach and who are trying to hide their identities from the American people will be unsuccessful in doing that,” Jeffries claimed. “This is America. This is not the Soviet Union. We’re not behind the Iron Curtain. This is not the 1930s. And every single one of them, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, will, of course, be identified.”
Other prominent democratic leaders followed Jeffries’s lead on this issue. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell (D) doxed ICE agents, releasing information regarding interactions they had with Nashville emergency services, as well as some of their identities, making them subject to gang retaliation. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), who formerly ran for vice president in the 2024 presidential election, said at his University of Minnesota Law School commencement speech, “[ICE Agents are] Trump’s modern-day Gestapo.”
But comparing a federal law enforcement agency to the political police force of the Nazi regime isn’t promoting a culture of violence? What do these Democrats think will happen when they consistently fill their listeners’ minds with this level of hateful propaganda?
‘Violence of Any Kind in Our Country Is Unacceptable’
Also responding to the tragic shooting of the two Minnesota state legislators, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), stated, “Violence of any kind in our country is unacceptable. Political violence can unravel our increasingly fragile democracy.”
Yet Sanders consistently uses inflammatory language to convince his supporters and others on the Left that the greatest evil in our world is the President of the United States. Why? Because he’s a Republican. Sanders has said on X, “Trumpism isn’t just about oligarchy, authoritarianism & kleptocracy. It is the deeply held belief that the rich & powerful have the ‘divine right’ to rule.” Oligarchy? Authoritarianism? Kleptocracy? The government Sanders is referencing is the same government he was praising in 2024, but apparently, he changed his mind the moment Democrats weren’t in control.
Sanders also posted on X, “In 1776 brave Americans took on and defeated the most powerful despot in the world. In 2025 we will do the same,” to promote his appearance at the Kings rallies that took place on June 14. An interesting statement from someone who is so deeply worried about unraveling “our increasingly fragile democracy.”
‘Anti-Semitism Is a Threat to All We Hold Dear as a Society’
After the murders of two Israeli Embassy workers, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on X, “[W]e must be clear that hatred has no home here. Antisemitism is a threat to all we hold dear as a society. It must be confronted and rooted out everywhere.”
But in March of 2024, Ocasio-Cortez said in a speech on the House floor that Israel was committing “genocide” and had “crossed the threshold of intent.” And days after the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack, Ocasio-Cortez posted on X “The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov… This is a genocide of Palestinians.”
Ocasio-Cortez also condoned the anti-Israel protests that endangered hundreds of Jewish students across America. In her Earth Day speech, she said, “It is especially important that we remember the power of young people shaping the country today of all days, as we once again witness the leadership of those peaceful student-led protests on campuses like Columbia, Yale, Berkeley and many others.”
‘[We Should] Recommit Ourselves to Civility and Respect in Our Politics’
The July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump was a unifying moment for all parties. At least for a few hours. In response to the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Barack Obama stated, “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”
Former President Joe Biden also notably stated, “This heinous attack motivated by politics should never happen in America. We must give hate and extremism no safe harbor, and we must all unite against political violence as a nation.”
And yet, the former president’s office replied affirmatively a few months later that Trump is a dictator. Asked if Biden believes Trump is a “fascist,” then-White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered, “I mean, yes … the former president has said he is going to be a dictator on Day 1. We cannot ignore that.”
“Civility and respect in our politics” are sentiments the Democratic Party clearly lacks. In the last few months, our country saw former FBI Director James Comey post — and then delete — a picture of shells depicting “8647,” with 86 commonly meaning to “get rid of” something, and 47 being a reference to the 47th president, Donald Trump.
We also saw Democratic Representative Al Green (Texas) stand up and shout during Donald Trump’s speech to Congress. Even after the respectful intervention of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who “issued a warning for order, banging the gavel,” and told Green to “Take your seat, sir!” the Texas congressman continued his disruption until he was removed from the House chamber.
And we witnessed the heated, disrespectful committee meeting where Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal (Calif.) said to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “You know what? I’m not going to waste my time anymore. You’re not worthy of my attention or my questions. You’re an embarrassment to this country. You’re unfit to lead. And there’s been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation. You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department.”
These are just a few examples of the aggression, hatred, and lack of propriety that run rampant amongst the Democratic Party. Where is the peace, decorum, and tolerance that they keep talking about? As they say, “Rules for thee, but not for me.”
AUTHOR
Caily Shriver serves as an intern at Family Research Council.
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