Swing district Dem calls out parties' 'dangerous lies': 'Democracy or authoritarianism'

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Trump rally attendees confused, duck as bullets fly across stage

Pennsylvania residents record footage from behind former President Trump onstage at a weekend rally as bullets fly and the Secret Service covers the former president. (Chris Konopka)

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, penned a lengthy thread on X about the hyperbole in American politics, urging politicians to stop framing their opponents as "fascists."

The vulnerable Democrat congressman took to X to denounce the current path that he says the country is on, adding that leaders need to guide America down a different one.

"We can start by dropping hyperbolic threats about the stakes of this election," he wrote. "It should not be misleadingly portrayed as a struggle between democracy or authoritarianism or a battle against fascists or socialists bent on destroying America. These are dangerous lies."

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Former President Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday. Shots were fired around 6 p.m., just minutes after Trump took the stage. Blood could be seen on Trump's right ear and face as Secret Service agents escorted him from the stage.

Trump was treated for a wound on his ear at a local hospital before returning to his residence in New Jersey. Both the gunman and a rallygoer were killed. Others are injured and receiving care in the hospital.

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Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lawmakers quickly issued statements praying for Trump's safety and that of attendees. 

"Following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, we must ask ourselves questions about the future of our country and what we want for ourselves and our children," Golden wrote on X in a 10-part thread. 

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Former President Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed off the stage after a failed assassination attempt during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"In the pursuit of short-term political gain, they are eager to exaggerate our differences and cast their political opponents as diabolical caricatures bent on destroying the country," he said in reference to those leading the country. 

Per the lawmaker, "The result is an overwhelming sense of fear & anxiety about the future of our country, where the normal and tested tools of democracy no longer seem adequate to protect the common good. In this light, a rise of politically motivated violence in America is sadly unsurprising."

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face and surrounded by Secret Service agents after a failed assassination attempt at his campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Maine Democrat, it would be "disastrous" to continue this way. Instead, the hyperbole must be stopped, he said, condemning the framing of political opponents as fascists, authoritarians and socialists.

The Democrat is fighting for re-election in a very competitive Maine district in the November election. Nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report rated his seat as a "Democrat Toss Up."

After the lawmaker's thread was posted, he was called out for "trying to have it both ways."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jason Savage, the Maine GOP executive director said, "It’s classic Jared Golden: with one side of his mouth, he uses inflammatory rhetoric. With the other side of his mouth, he condemns it."

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"Mainers should know that Golden is acting like a DC politician because he wants to get re-elected in a few months," he added. 

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Savannah Viar also slammed the vulnerable Democrat, claiming his "election year flip flops could not be more transparent."

"He partnered up with Adam Schiff to call Donald Trump a threat to democracy. His election year efforts will continue to ring hollow," she said.