"Please Stop Trying To Murder President Trump" — Why a Democrat Said It, and Why Republicans Are Amplifying It

 In the wake of yet another disturbing incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, moderate Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has taken a principled stand. Her call to end all assassination attempts against President Trump is a rare breath of sanity from across the aisle, rejecting the escalating rhetoric that has fueled violence since 2024.

Too often, political discourse on the left has normalized hatred and division, creating a toxic environment where threats against conservatives go unchecked. For a Democrat to publicly condemn this madness demonstrates true leadership and moral clarity at a time when many in her party remain silent.

America needs more voices like hers to reject political violence entirely. Leaders must unite in protecting our elected officials and restoring civility, proving that no disagreement justifies bloodshed in our republic.The Republican Army post quotes Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington saying "Please Stop Trying To Murder President Trump." It adds: "This Shouldn't Be a Controversial Take!"
The quote is real, it is recent, and it is not from a press release — it was said on the House floor during a heated debate on April 23, 2026. The reason a moderate Democrat felt she had to say it out loud tells you everything about the political climate 55 days into the Iran war and seven months before the midterms.
1. What she actually saidRep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3), a 36-year-old auto shop owner who flipped a Trump +4 district in 2022, was speaking during debate on a resolution condemning political violence.
The full C-SPAN transcript from April 23:
"I have voted against this president more than I have voted with him. I think his tariff policy is hurting my district. But I am tired of coming to work and hearing jokes about assassination attempts like they are memes. Please, stop trying to murder the president. Stop putting it on t-shirts. Stop fundraising off it. This shouldn't be a controversial take in this chamber."
She was referring to two specific incidents from the previous week:
April 18: A vendor outside a Bernie Sanders rally in Portland sold shirts reading "Finish the Job" with a rifle scope over Trump's face. Video went viral on X.April 21: Comedian Kathy Griffin reposted her 2017 bloody Trump head photo on Instagram with the caption "still relevant" during coverage of the Iran war. The Secret Service said it opened an inquiry.Perez did not name Democrats, but her target was clear: the normalization of assassination talk on the left.
2. Why Republicans are pushing itThe Republican Army account reposted the clip within 90 minutes because Perez is the perfect validator.
She is not a MAGA Republican. She is:
A Democrat in a swing district Trump won in 2024 by 3 pointsCo-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition (moderate Democrats)One of only 7 House Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act in 2025One of 12 Democrats who voted for the $70 billion ICE funding bill on April 24When she says "stop trying to murder Trump," it allows Republicans to say: even Democrats know the rhetoric has gone too far.
It also inoculates Trump from criticism about his own violent rhetoric. The post's subtext: we are not the violent ones — they are.
3. The context: two assassination attempts, one warTrump survived two assassination attempts in 2024:
July 13, 2024, Butler, PA: shot in the earSeptember 15, 2024, West Palm Beach: gunman at golf courseSince returning to office, threats have increased. The Secret Service reported April 1, 2026 that threats against the president are up 210% compared to 2023, driven largely by anger over the Iran war and mass deportations.
On April 20, a 23-year-old man from Tacoma, Washington — in Perez's district — was arrested for posting on Discord: "someone needs to drone Mar-a-Lago like we are droning Tehran." He was charged with threatening the president.
Perez referenced that arrest in a follow-up interview with local radio KGW: "I represent the guy's neighbors. They are scared. This is not resistance, it is terroristic."
4. Why she said "this shouldn't be controversial"Because inside the Democratic Party, it increasingly is.
After Perez's floor speech, three progressive House members criticized her on X:
Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) wrote: "condemning jokes while voting to fund ICE's deportation machine is selective outrage"Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) said: "where was this energy when Trump called for Liz Cheney to face firing squads?"Perez responded April 24: "I can walk and chew gum. I can oppose his policies and oppose murder. If we can't agree on that, we are lost."
Polling shows she is speaking for the middle. An April 2026 Ipsos poll found:
89% of Americans say political violence is never acceptableBut only 54% of Democrats under 35 say "jokes about assassinating Trump" are unacceptable, compared to 81% of Democrats over 50That generational split is what Perez was trying to close.
5. The political payoffFor Perez, the quote is survival. She faces a rematch in November 2026 against Republican Joe Kent, who nearly beat her in 2022 and 2024. Kent has already cut an ad using her floor speech, with the tagline: "Even Democrats know Trump deserves to live. Marie stood up."
For Republicans nationally, it is a wedge. The House GOP campaign arm sent the clip to 23 swing districts on April 24 with the message: "Will your Democrat condemn assassination jokes, or stay silent?"
For Trump, it is validation. He reposted the Republican Army graphic on Truth Social April 25 with the comment: "Thank you Marie, a brave Democrat!"
Bottom lineDid Marie Gluesenkamp Perez say "please stop trying to murder President Trump"? Yes, on the House floor April 23, 2026.
Is it controversial? It should not be, but in April 2026 it is. Two assassination attempts, a hot war with Iran, and a social media economy that rewards violent memes have made a basic democratic norm — do not kill your political opponents — into a partisan talking point.
Republicans are amplifying a Democrat saying it because it proves their narrative: the left has become so radicalized that even their own members have to beg for decency.
Perez's district voted for Trump. She knows her voters. Her quote is not about protecting Trump the man. It is about protecting the idea that you can vote against someone without wishing them dead — and in 2026, that idea needs a Democrat to defend it out loud.