US President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey on September 14, 2025

WASHINGTON — On the afternoon of August 8, a Georgia police officer was gunned down as he tried to protect a thousand federal workers from a shooter addled by Covid vaccine disinformation and armed with two rifles, a shotgun and a handgun.

President Donald Trump did not order US flags to be lowered to half staff. He did not release a video speaking of the killing from the Oval Office. He did not attend the funeral.

Indeed, to this day, a full five weeks later, the president has has not publicly mentioned the killing of David Rose at all — but has provided yet another stark example of his willingness to countenance, condone and even encourage political violence by his supporters and perceived supporters over the years.

In contrast, Trump is affording political ally and right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk the trappings of a state funeral following his assassination last week. He immediately ordered flags to be lowered to half staff. Kirk’s casket was taken to his home in Arizona aboard Air Force 2. And Trump himself plans to attend the funeral this Sunday.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson would not respond to HuffPost queries about why Trump has not spoken about Rose’s death in the line of duty. Instead she pointed to Trump’s recent remarks.

“As the survivor of two assassination attempts — and now watching his dear friend Charlie be assassinated — no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump. That’s why, following Charlie’s assassination, President Trump delivered powerful and unifying remarks urging all Americans to ‘commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died,’” Jackson said in a statement.

The remarks Trump delivered last week, however, did not ask Americans to unify. Rather, they blamed violence on his political opponents. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis........

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