THAT CONTEXT IT’S A REMINDER OF
HOW MUCH WORK WE STILL HAVE TO
DO.
>> THERE IS A REALLY DISTURBING
MOMENT EARLIER.
I’M GOING TO PLAY THE
PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO A
QUESTION ABOUT A 17-YEAR-OLD
SORT OF SELF-ANOINTED VIGILANTE
WHO IS FACING MURDER CHARGES FOR
ALLEGEDLY SHOOTING AND KILLING
TWO PEOPLE AT A KENOSHA PROTEST.
THIS IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAD
TO SAY.
>> DO YOU CONDEMN THE ACTIONS OF
VIGILANTES LIKE KYLE
RITTENHOUSE?
>> WE’RE LOOKING AT ALL OF IT.
THAT WAS AN INTERESTING
SITUATION.
YOU SAW THE SAME TAPE AS I SAW.
HE WAS TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM
THEM, I GUESS, IT LOOKS LIKE AND
HE FELL AND THEY VERY VIOLENTLY
ATTACKED HIM.
IT IS SOMETHING WE’RE LOOKING AT
RIGHT NOW AND IT’S UNDER
INVESTIGATION.
BUT I GUESS HE WAS IN VERY BIG
TROUBLE.
HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN
KILLED, BUT IT’S UNDER
INVESTIGATION.
>> WHAT DOES IT DO WHEN THE
PRESIDENT JUSTIFIES A KILLING BY
ONE OF HIS SUPPORTERS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IT IS NOT
UNDER INVESTIGATION.
HE’S BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
HE HAS THE RIGHT TO PROTEST THAT
CHARGE, BUT THIS ISN’T AN
INVESTIGATION THAT IS AWAITING A
CHARGE.
HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.
AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS DOING
IS TO, FRANKLY, SEND A CLEAR
MESSAGE TO OTHERS THAT MIGHT
BRING GUNS TO PROTESTS THAT
WOULD DRIVE THEIR CARS INTO VERY
VOLATILE PLACES LIKE THE STREETS
OF PORTLAND.
HE’S SENDING A MESSAGE OF
ENCOURAGEMENT.
WHY?
BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, HE WANTS
MORE CHAOS.
HE WANTS MORE UNREST.
HE WANTS MORE VIOLENCE.
BECAUSE HE IS BACKED INTO A
CORNER, HE SAW THE POLLS SHOWING
THAT HE WAS DOWN BY 10 TO 15
POINTS, AND HE PLAYED THE ONLY
CARD HE HAD LEFT.
HE WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE
THE BANK ROBBER WHO IS IN A
CORNER OF THE BUILDING
SURROUNDED BY POLICE AND HIS
ONLY PLAY IS TO BLOW THE
BUILDING UP AND HOPE IN THE
CHAOS THAT HE COULD ESCAPE.
WELL, THIS PRESIDENT ISN’T GOING
TO ESCAPE BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN’T
JUST GOING TO BUY THIS CRAZY
ARGUMENT THAT HE’S MAKING, THAT
HE IS NOT TO BLAME FOR ANYTHING
THAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS NATION.
HE WANTS TO GO TO KENOSHA NOT TO
HEAL BUT TO TRY TO STIR THAT
PLACE UP.
AND I THINK JOE BIDEN DID A
GREAT JOB TODAY OF CALLING A
SPADE A SPADE.
I DON’T THINK THE PRESIDENT GETS
AWAY WITH THIS RIDICULOUS
ATTEMPT AT A JEDI MIND TRICK.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A
TWEET YOU HAD IN A MOMENT, BUT
JUST ONE MORE QUESTION ON THIS.
THERE IS A SENSE, I THINK,
SOMETIMES OF WE DON’T KNOW WHY,
SAY, VIOLENCE GOES UP OR DOWN IN
SOCIETY GIVEN TIMES AND OF COURSE THERE WERE MANY, MANY
COURSE THERE WERE MANY, MANY
MORE VIOLENT HOMICIDE, FOR
INSTANCE, IN SEASAY, 1992, 1993.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT SOLUTIONS?
ABOUT WAYS WE CAN REDUCE THE
VIOLENCE THAT WE EXPERIENCE AS
AMERICANS?
>> RIGHT.
THE FIRST HALF OF MY BOOK IS
REALLY A HISTORY OF AMERICAN
VIOLENCE.
IT IS A FASCINATING HISTORY
BECAUSE IT IS NOT UNTIL THE
MIDDLE 1800s THAT WE START TO
BECOME A GLOBAL OUTLIER OF
VIOLENCE.
THAT OCCURS BECAUSE OF THREE
REASONS.
ONE, THE EXPANSION OF OUR
ENSLAVED POPULATION AS WE HAD
MORE SLAVES IN THESE COUNTRY.
WE NEEDED MORE VIOLENCE TO TRY
TO KEEP THE ECONOMIC ORDER IN
PLACE.
ALSO BECAUSE OF NEW WAVES OF
IMMIGRANTS FOR CONTESTED FOR
SPACE IN A GROWING ECONOMY.
VIOLENCE WAS A RESULT OF THOSE.
BUT ALSO THE HANDGUN.
WHEN THE HANDGUN BECAME
WIDESPREAD IN AMERICAN SOCIETY,
IT RESULTED IN MUCH MORE
VIOLENCE AS WELL.
BUT WHAT WE SEE IS THAT VIOLENCE
HAS RAPID POINTS OF DECLINE AS
WELL, AND THEY TEND TO COINCIDE
WITH CHANGES IN AMERICAN GUN
LAWS.
IN THE 1930s AND ’90s, WE SEE
THE TWO BIGGEST DECLINES IN
AMERICAN VIOLENCE.
THEY HAPPEN RIGHT AFTER THE
FIRST SET OF NATIONAL GUN LAWS
IN THE 1930s AND THEN THE BRADY
BACKGROUND CHECK BILL IN THE
1990s.
THAT’S WHY I BELIEVE THAT WHILE
GUN LAWS ISN’T A PANACEA FOR
CONTROLLING VIOLENCE, HISTORY
CERTAINLY SHOWS US THAT IT GETS
US PRETTY QUICK RETURNS.
>> YOU TWEETED THIS WEEKEND,
COULD WE TAKE THE GLOVES OFF AND
TELL THE TRUTH.
TRUMP IS DELIBERATELY KILLING
PEOPLE.
THERE IS A NO SOCIAL DISTANCING
OR MASKS.
HIS PLAN IS TO KILL PEOPLE.
LET’S JUST SAY IT.
DO YOU STANDBY THAT?
>> I DO STANDBY IT.
I KNOW THAT SOUNDS HARSH, BUT
THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO KNEW
EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING.
HE KNEW BY REFUSING TO SOCIALLY
DISTANCE PEOPLE AT HIS
CONVENTION, BUT REFUSING TO LET
THEM WEAR MASKS OR AT LEAST NOT
REQUIRING A MASKS, HE WAS
SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE TO ALL
OF HIS FOLLOWERS THAT THOSE
THINGS WEREN’T WORTHWHILE.
THE SCIENCE TELLS HIM IF THEY’RE
NOT SOCIALLY DISTANCED, THEN
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
DIE.
LET’S CALL A SPADE A SPADE.
THE PRESIDENT IS REFUSING TO
MODEL THE RIGHT BEHAVIOR FOR THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC AND THAT WILL
RESULT IN PEOPLE DYING.
IF YOU ARE ON THE WAY TO A
GROCERY STORE AND YOU DECIDE TO
DRIVE ON THE SIDEWALK INSTEAD OF
THE ROAD KNOWING THAT MAY KILL
PEOPLE, YOU ARE RIGHTLY ARE CALL
I DO BELIEVE THIS PRESIDENT IS
DELIBERATELY KILLING PEOPLE.
ALL HE HAD TO DO IS MAKE
DIFFERENT CHOICES OF THE
BEHAVIORS HE MODEL.
>> CHRIS MURPHY OF CONNECTICUT,
HE HAS A NEW BOOK THAT’S OUT,
