Former President Donald Trump called the violent attack on Paul Pelosi a “terrible thing” on Sunday before blaming Democratic leadership in San Francisco for the assault — and likening crime rates in liberal-run cities to war-torn Afghanistan, according to The Hill.
“With Paul Pelosi, that’s a terrible thing, with all of them it’s a terrible thing,” Trump said in an interview with Americano Media. “Look at what’s happened to San Francisco generally. Look at what’s happening in Chicago. It was far worse than Afghanistan.”
Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was attacked in their San Francisco home Friday by an intruder wielding a hammer, according to police. The 82-year-old suffered a skull fracture and other serious injuries.
The attacker reportedly demanded to know where the speaker was ― she was out of town ― and told police he wanted to “break her kneecaps” and hold her hostage, law enforcement authorities said. Speaker Pelosi is a frequent target of the right.
Law enforcement identified the suspect as David DePape, whose apparent online posts include QAnon conspiracy theories. But Trump wasted no time in pinning the blame on progressives.
“We have to give police back their dignity, their respect,” Trump said. “They can solve the problem. But today if a police officer says something that’s slightly out of line it’s like the end of his life, the end of his pension, the end of his family.”
Trump added the “country is out of control,” using the age-old Republican message that Democrats are too soft on crime. The same message was pushed by other Republicans, including Reps. Lance Gooden (Texas) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), along with gubernatorial Arizona GOP nominee Kari Lake.
Greene tweeted Friday that “violence and crime are rampant in Joe Biden’s America.” Gooden blamed “crime & mental illness” in San Francisco on “the failed policies of the Democrats.” Lake told Fox News that “the left” has “made our streets more dangerous,” according to Forbes.
San Francisco increased its police budget by 4% over the last three years, per ABC News. Republicans nonetheless continue to blame progressive attempts to curb police brutality and spending for crime.
Biden and other Democrats have linked DePape’s attack to Trump’s “big lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, which Trump still promotes on his Truth Social platform. The attacker allegedly shared election conspiracy theories on his Facebook page before the assault.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), one of only 10 House Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment last year, was one of the few voices in the GOP to call out his own party for the attack.
“This morning’s terrifying attack on Paul Pelosi by a man obsessed with election conspiracies is a dangerous reality encouraged by some members of my own party,” he tweeted.