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In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, however, the most important message from political leaders was remarkably consistent: violence cannot be allowed to determine America’s political future.
Trump survived the attack. But the shooting left a much larger question hanging over the country—how can a deeply divided democracy prevent political anger from turning into political bloodshed?
The answer will depend not only on security measures around politicians, but also on whether Americans and their leaders are willing to reject political violence regardless of which party or ideology is targeted.