We need to do all we can to lower the anger pervading American politics | Robert Reich

Trump's messages to his followers during this election season has had a constant undercurrent of violence

My first thought on hearing about the attempted shooting of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday was I hope to God he's OK".

I thought this for the usual reasons we human beings hope that other humans are safe from harm.

They're not after me. They're after you. And I just happen to be standing in their way."

Our enemies are desperate to stop us and our opponents have done everything they can to crush our spirit and to break our will. But they failed. They've only made us stronger. And 2024 is the final battle, it's going to be the big one. You put me back in the White House, their reign will be over and America will be a free nation once again."

In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution."

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com