In the wake of explosive devices being sent to prominent Democratic politicians, a former adviser to Arizona Senator John McCain said President Donald Trump has "stoked a cold civil war" in the United States. Steve Schmidt took to Twitter on Wednesday to rail against Trump and his rhetoric, calling him "the greatest demagogue in American history."
"Trump has stoked a cold civil war in this Country," Schmidt wrote. "His rallies brim with menace and he has labeled journalists as enemies of the people. That someone would seek to kill their political enemies is not aberrational but rather inevitable consequence of Trump's incitement."
Schmidt's tweets were an apparent response to the multiple explosive devices sent to prominent Democratic politicians and others on Wednesday. Former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others were targeted.
"The targets are political not coincidental," he continued. "Trump, the greatest demagogue in American history has celebrated violence over and over again. It looks like someone finally took Trump both literally and seriously. The WH will feign outrage when this obvious point is made."
The incidents prompted calls for civility on both sides of the aisle, including from Trump. The president said during a rally on Wednesday that "no nation can succeed that tolerates violence." He then, however, doubled down on media attacks.
"The media has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constantly negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories," he said. "They've got to stop."
CNN was among those targeted. An explosive device was sent to the network's New York office, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan. Brennan himself lashed out at the president, saying on Twitter that Trump's "inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies and encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful."
"No journalist or commentator should be intimidated from making this point," Schmidt concluded in his tweets. "The stoking of hatred and sundering of the American people was always going to lead to terrible consequences. Chief amongst them would be the initiation of partisan or sectarian violence within our country."
