Most politicians know this: there is a time to play politics and win elections. Then there is a time to lead and unite one’s people. Such moments come to every political leader. Such a moment confronted US President Donald Trump last week.
It was a pivotal moment in American politics. In a country where the idea that you speak and convince your opponents about the superiority and justness of your idea, rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed by a rabid Trump supporter to former President Barack Obama, his former deputy Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, philanthropist George Soros, filmmaker and producer Robert de Niro and other Democratic Party supporters. The media was also targeted.
No matter what party you vote for or support, receiving a pipe bomb in the mail is a scary thing. No one wants to lose limb or life to a bomb. If you are an authentic leader, a time when your opponents and critics are being threatened is a time to rise above partisan politics and defend them — as they, one expects, would defend you.