Former President Donald Trump and his allies are stirring controversy after his Secret Service detail foiled what the FBI describes as a second attempted assassination in less than 10 weeks. Trump has accused Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden of escalating political hatred in the country. Despite their condemnation of political violence, Trump believes their rhetoric is fueling threats and aggression towards him. Billionaire Elon Musk also caused a stir with a deleted tweet questioning the lack of attempts on Biden and Harris. With less than two months until Election Day, Trump and his team show no signs of toning down their rhetoric.

The assassination attempt occurred when Trump was playing golf at his West Palm Beach course on Sunday. A Secret Service agent noticed a gun muzzle protruding from nearby bushes, prompting the Secret Service to fire at the suspect who then fled. The suspect was quickly apprehended by local police. Trump was forced to seek shelter at his golf club for over an hour before being transported to his Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago. Sources report that Trump remained relatively calm and unperturbed by the incident, assuring his adviser that there would be minimal disruptions to his schedule or campaign plans.

Despite the close call, Trump faced a decision regarding his response. Some Trump allies felt the campaign missed an opportunity for unity following the first assassination attempt. However, Trump instead ramped up his anti-Harris rhetoric, coinciding with a decline in his poll numbers over the summer. Critics believe that the rhetoric shift has turned his campaign into a "clown show."

Meanwhile, Trump's fundraising team wasted no time in capitalizing on the incident. They urged donors to contribute money in the immediate aftermath. Trump echoed his previous assertion from an ABC News debate, blaming Biden and Harris for the targeting. He claimed that their rhetoric was responsible for the attempted assassination, while portraying himself as the savior of the country and his opponents as destroyers.

In contrast to Trump's response, Harris took a different approach, expressing condemnation for political violence and calling for collective efforts to prevent further incidents. Trump did not rebuke Elon Musk for his comment, which mused about assassinations of the sitting president and vice president.

While Trump's survival from the assassination attempt could have been a moment for unity, he instead chose to escalate tensions. Trump's aides state that he will be his own spokesperson when it comes to addressing the incident. Throughout his political career, Trump has been known to glorify violence, except when it is directed towards him.

It remains to be seen if the second assassination attempt will impact the outcome of the election. Trump faced a different opponent during the previous attempt, and since Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee, polls show Democrats in a stronger position to win in November. However, most surveys indicate a closely contested race, where both candidates are within the margin of error in crucial swing states. The assassination attempt has once again brought attention to the divisive political climate in the country.