Political Violence Is a Threat to Democracy | Q&A with Joe Trippi & Alex Shashlo

When the news first broke Tuesday that there was a shooting at a Charlie Kirk event in Utah, Joe Trippi and Alex Shashlo were in the middle of recording their podcast, That Trippi Show.

"We didn't know it was an assassination and that he was indeed dead,” Joe recalls. “We found that out later, but at the time we were just stunned."

Joe and Alex make the point that political violence, no matter who it’s directed toward, is a direct threat to freedom and democracy itself because it can make people afraid to speak their minds.

"Political violence is one that really strikes at the heart of democracy and freedom itself,” Joe says.

They also praise Utah Governor Spencer Cox and his calls for unity: "What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred, not violence or lawlessness, but love, wisdom and compassion toward one another."

And they agree that social media exacerbates political divisions and lament the immediate partisan reactions and "wild speculation" that followed Kirk’s murder.

"Social media is a cancer in our society,” Joe declares.

Thanks for sending in your questions! Don’t forget to leave more in the comments for Joe and Alex next week.

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