The wife of a former White House staffer who once stood as a witness against Donald Trump has sparked outrage after appearing to mock an apparent second assassination attempt targeting the former president.
Following the thwarted attack over the weekend, Rachel Vindman took to social media site X (formerly Twitter) to post a jovial statement downplaying the event.
“No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon,” she wrote, apparently referencing the first attack on Trump’s life, which saw him sustain a head injury when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally in July, killing one spectator and wounding two others.
Vindman, a podcast co-host, is married to Alexander Vindman, a former army colonel and whistleblower who testified against Trump in 2019 regarding allegations the then-president had tried to force Ukraine to dig up dirt on Democratic rival Joe Biden. His testimony resulted in Trump’s first impeachment, and Alexander Vindman subsequently authored a book about his experience.
Alexander Vindman and podcaster wife Rachel Vindman attend the Genesis Prize Awards event on June 6, 2024, in Malibu, California. She has sparked outrage after appearing to mock an apparent second assassination attempt targeting the former president.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Genesis Prize Foundation
On Sunday, 58-year-old Ryan Routh was arrested after alleged being spotted hiding in bushes with an AK-47 at Florida’s Trump International Golf Club as the former president played a round at the venue. No shots were fired and Trump was unharmed.
But Rachel Vindman’s statement downplaying the apparent would-be assassination, which was shared by other X users around 10,000 times, has sparked widespread disgust among Trump allies.
No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon.
— Rachel Vindman 🇺🇸🦅🌻 (@natsechobbyist) September 15, 2024
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., shared her comment on X with the words: “These people are f***ing demented.” His post was reshared 17,000 times.
While anti-Muslim influencer and 9/11 conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, whose ties to Donald Trump have sparked alarm among some of his supporters, also slammed Rachel Vindman. “TODAY SHE CELEBRATED THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP BY A PRO UKRAINE MERCENARY,” Loomer wrote on X.
While Laura Ingraham, Fox News host of The Ingraham Angle, said: “Harris and Walz should be asked if they agree with Rachel Vindman’s comments. Liz Cheney should also be asked — and urged to make a public statement on TV – that doing ‘whatever it takes’ does not include trying to shoot President Trump.”
Harris and Walz should be asked if they agree with Rachel Vindman’s comments. Liz Cheney should also be asked — and urged to make a public statement on TV – that doing “whatever it takes” does not include trying to shoot President Trump.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 16, 2024
The criticism was not just confined to Rachel Vindman. Some called for her husband to denounce her statement too.
GOP strategist and Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita was one of those calling for Alexander Vindman to condemn his wife’s X post. LaCivita mistakenly claimed Alexander Vindman was running as a candidate for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District; in fact, it is his brother Eugene Vindman who is standing in the election.
LaCivita wrote on X: “Her husband …a candidate for VA 7 …should condemn immediately.”
Alexander Vindman retaliated with a furious post. “I condemn you. I condemn your lack of integrity, your attacks on immigrants, your desecration of Arlington National Cemetery,” he told LaCivita. “Your candidate @realDonaldTrump has incited political violence for a decade. He could reduce the temperature of this election cycle. But you MAGA thrive on bullying. Fact is you are all weak.”
For his part, Eugene Vindman did address the near-assassination, writing on X that he was “disturbed by yet another attempt of political violence in our nation,” and adding that he was “grateful that no one is hurt.”
Rachel Vindman suggested that her views and comments on X did not need a rebuke from her husband, given she is capable of formulating her own opinions. Her profile on X reads: “Opinions are my own and not necessarily the views of my husband…but obviously if our views are different, mine are correct.”
The podcaster, who co-hosts a show called The Surburban Women Problem, doubled down on her stance in response to the backlash against her. She took to X again to say: “Sorry you’re triggered [laughing-face emojis] I mean no I’m not. I don’t care a little bit.”
She subsequently referenced Trump’s false claims that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets, and added: “Trump has been inciting violence against his enemies for years. He douses a situation in gasoline, lights a match, & walks away claiming no responsibility. Look at what is happening in Springfield, OH right now but he wants to claim he’s a victim. You cannot have it both ways.”
Newsweek reached out by email to representatives for Donald Trump seeking a response to Rachel Vindman’s comments.
