MS NOW Political Analyst Susan Del Percio was not a fan of the speech President Donald Trump gave shortly after being targeted in another assassination attempt on Saturday night, arguing Trump was “wrong” to claim he was being targeted because he’s done a “really good job.”

Instead, Del Percio said people are more likely trying to kill Trump because his administration has “worked so hard to divide this country” and to “hurt the people they don’t like.” She made her argument during a segment on Alex Witt Reports on Sunday afternoon.

Del Percio added Trump’s administration doesn’t “mind the violence, as long as it’s towards, you know, supporting them, the people who come out and support them.”

Below is the full exchange between host Alex Witt and Del Percio:

Witt: Trump said last night Trump he sees these violent incidents as a reflection of his impact, he mentioned President Abraham Lincoln as an example, of course being assassinated.

What do you make of his framing of this incident? And will the White House use this incident in its political messaging?

Del Percio: They very well may, and while I can’t say I exactly understand what the president was thinking when he said it, I’ll tell you what’s wrong with what he said. Because most people think of it now that, “Oh, if you do a really good job, people are going to take a shot at you.” That’s not the case.

What this administration has done is worked so hard to divide this country, to hurt the people they don’t like, and they don’t mind the violence as long as it’s towards, you know, supporting them, the people who come out and support them.

Witt let out a “Hmmm,” after that answer and wrapped up the segment with her other guest.

Del Percio was referencing a moment in Trump’s speech when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump why he has been the target of multiple assassination attempts. 

Trump answered: “Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at the people — Abraham Lincoln — I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got ’em, but the people that do the most and the people that make the biggest impact are the ones that they go after. They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way.”

The president also quipped during the press conference that “nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession” — a joke that drew chuckles from FBI Director Kash Patel and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche standing behind him.

Del Percio’s interview on MS NOW follows the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night in Washington, D.C.

The suspected shooter — 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen — appeared to have been motivated by conspiracy theories about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein; he wrote in his manifesto that Trump was a “pedophile” and “rapist” who needed to be killed.

Watch above via MS NOW.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!