In Chicago Sunday, Donald Trump supporters held a rally in Columbus Park a day after the assassination attempt on the former president .
They called for a change in rhetoric surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
There is no denying tensions are running high all over the country Sunday, and that includes Chicago, where despite calls to tone down the rhetoric that led to Saturday's assassination attempt, a Trump rally on the West Side was interrupted by opponents.
The rally hosted by Trump supporters in the Austin neighborhood was briefly interrupted after a verbal altercation with those who did not welcome their presence led to a person pulling a weapon. Police, who were monitoring the rally nearby, responded immediately and the situation was diffused.
It's too much. I don't hate democrats. I don't want them to hate us.
The whole thing unfolding just moments after organizers, still shaken by the apparent attempt on the former president's life, called for a de-escalation in the rhetoric that has divided the nation.
"We want to bring people together and hopefully people right now see us in an area where some people may like Trump, some people may not, but we're hoping to have the conversations and bring people together," Trump supporter Osiris Sumler said. "Because it's too much. I don't hate democrats. I don't want them to hate us."
The rally was a small one, bringing together around 20 Trump supporters. Silvia Sainz was seated behind the former President during his rally last month in Racine. The shooting made her think twice about coming out, but she said it was Trump's response, moments after he was injured, that spurred her on.
"When I saw the picture circulating of him saying, 'fight, fight, fight,' I felt the need I had to be here," Sainz said.
It is that display of strength that some political scientists now believe will help Trump politically in the months to come, especially as the Republican National Convention gets underway Monday in Milwaukee.
READ MORE | No changes made to RNC security plan after Trump assassination attempt, Secret Service says
"For Biden and the Democrats, this is immobilizing," DePaul University Professor Wayne Steger said. "This absolutely freezes it. How do you critique Trump? Even during the convention, when he's been so victimized."
Beyond the politics, however, is the very real concern that Saturday's assassination attempt could lead those who blame Democrats and the President to carry out further acts of violence.
"It is an escalation that continued political violence is certainly not out of the question, and tit-for-tat retaliations,: Steger said. "That is a scary prospect."
The Chicago Police Department issued a statement following the attempted assassination:
"The Chicago Police Department continues to monitor the situation that unfolded in Butler, Pennsylvania as we prepare for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. We have been planning for the convention for more than a year to prepare for anything and everything. As always, CPD will assess and adjust resources as necessary in real-time, based on intelligence and what we are seeing on the ground to protect the entire city. We also remain in constant contact with our federal partners, who we are working closely with, to ensure dignitaries and areas around the convention footprint are secured. We want to remind everyone to please be aware of their surroundings in large gatherings, at work, places of worship, critical facilities and online. If you see something, say something by calling 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity."
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