ATLANTA — The ripple effects are still being felt across the country after the FBI said a 20-year-old man tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Nathan Price teaches a class on political polarization at the University of North Georgia. None of his students were alive the last time someone tried to kill a president or presidential candidate. He said one can connect the dots from the current political climate to what happened in Pennsylvania.
“This is a byproduct of polarization is that we start to demonize people on the other side, and we all start to think that any means that we can beat them are acceptable," Price said.
Here in Georgia, following the shooting, the Biden campaign pulled back a plan to open an office in Forsyth County.
Price said the move makes sense because security will be a concern for everyone on both sides of the aisle.
“The people at the front. The ones knocking on doors. The ones working in these offices. I’m really concerned for everybody," Price said.
Despite the attack on former President Trump, the Republican National Convention will begin on Monday.
Price thinks this latest tragedy will definitely play a factor in the tone of the event.
“The conventions are meant to be red meat for the base, and I expect it to be exactly that," Price stated.
The tone of the four-day event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, remains to be seen.