New Jersey leaders continued to react Monday to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, several joining the calls for more respect and less rhetoric in the nation’s political discourse.
Among them were gubernatorial candidates Steve Sweeney, a Democrat and former Senate president, and Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union), who released a joint statement calling for “civility in our civil discourse.”
Speaking with NJ Spotlight News, state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) and New Jersey Democratic State Committee chair LeRoy Jones also said they share in that goal.
“I think all sides, and this includes the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign, have been too focused on individuals and the personalities involved, as opposed to getting right into the heart of what people really care about, which are public policy issues,” said Pennacchio.
“This past weekend has been a wake-up call for us all, both sides of the aisle, [to] the rhetoric that has been spewed,” Jones said. “And it’s not one particular party, both parties, we have to begin to dial it back. When folks have language that becomes explosive, they begin to impact others. This is America, and we have to have a level of discourse that’s respectable, that deals with the issues.”
As the Republican National Convention kicks off on Monday in Milwaukee, voters will be watching to see if former President Trump tones down his own remarks. On Monday, he announced U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio — himself a firebrand — as is his vice presidential running mate.
