Colorado politicians discuss theme of unity, after assassination attempt on Donald Trump

COLORADO, USA (KRDO) -- The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, has led to a flurry of discussions amongst politicians, experts, and Americans about calls for not just less political violence, but a cooling of the political climate as a whole.

President Biden saying in an address to the nation on Sunday, that "Unity is the most elusive goal of all." saying nothing is more important than goal, right now.

The discussion around unity, preceded by some controversial statements by Colorado lawmakers.

Democrat Representative Steve Woodrow from Denver, apologized Monday for a post he published to X, formerly Twitter, after the shooting:

Woodrow, just hours later deleted his X account entirely due to the backlash he faced over the post.

His apology, in a statement to KRDO13, wrote:

"I condemn this attempt on President Trump’s life in the most forceful of terms. My message, as inarticulate as it was, is that acts of violence like this are awful and only make it more likely that Trump now wins. We must always resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box—not through violence. I know people are hurting, and apologize that my words caused additional pain."

The Democratic Party of Colorado, quickly shunned Woodrow's post on Monday.

"It was a regrettable tweet and I condemned it right away, and I would hope that my colleagues in the Republican Party would also condemn really egregious and hateful rhetoric from Lauren Boebert and Representative Matt Soper." said Shad Mubir, the Chairman for the Democratic party on Monday.

Mubir alluded to claims by Republican Representatives Matthew Soper of Mesa and Delta counties on the Western Slope, and Lauren Boebert of Congressional District 3, over their claims that President Joe Biden is to blame for the shooting, due to a recent statement he made to supporters that they have to, put the debate behind them and "put Trump in the bullseye."

"This kind of rhetoric from the left has to stop." exclaimed Boebert in an interview with KRDO13 on Saturday evening.

"Absolutely, I think that his words, as far as getting people wound up about President Trump, have definitely encouraged people to take to the level of violence." explained Representative Soper.

Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Boulder, Doug Spencer, sees the principle of the argument, although isn't sure about the merit of it.

"I certainly don't think President Biden was asking somebody to really take out a targeted hit on President Trump. But the language itself puts him in a position to have to defend using that kind of war- like language." said Spencer.

Meanwhile, several residents in Colorado Springs on Monday, say they're tired of all the back and forth and hope the near-catastrophe on Saturday, turns a new page for the country.

"I just hope this brings the country together, we are a country divided," said Cathy Tomovich.

While other's aren't optimistic that the sentiment of unity, will last.

"I hope it gets dialed back. I hope, but I don't know if that happens. I think that Donald Trump will continue to dial up the rhetoric. And I think that hopefully the common sense people will dial it down," added Conner Crosby.

It appears however, as the reality of the shooting settles in, that lawmakers are ready for the conversation for the first time in a long time.

"We can disagree on policy. We can even disagree on principle. But we can still be human to each other, and I believe that at the national level, the same thing can happen, and it needs to happen," said Soper.

Professor Spencer adds that this is a pivotal moment for the United States, where the tides of American politics could see a shift. However, he says it will take much more than just the efforts of politicians changing how they debate and campaign against their opponents, and those across the aisle.

"I also think [U.S citizens] all have to look in the mirror and recognize that we're contributing to this ourselves by responding to this kind of language, and then asking for different language. But we need to be ready to respond to more policy oriented political conversations ourselves." explains Spencer.