August 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.8

GUEST COMENTARY Travis

GUEST COMENTARY Travis Yates The Media Raised a Assassin as well as Cop Killers By Travis Yates, The Law Officer When Donald Trump came down the escalator at Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for President, his future assassin was 13 years old. Prior to this seminal event in American History, Mr. Trump was one of the most celebrated and iconic celebrities in the world. His reality show, the Apprentice, had been on air for over decade and was one of the most watched shows on television. Trump’s achievements were well known and applauded. From real estate across the globe and his philanthropy, Trump won awards from just about every group you can imagine and even landed in the Gaming Hall of Fame and WWE Hall of Fame. But all of that ended on June 16, 2015, when Donald Trump 24 The Blues - August ‘24 announced his candidacy for the President of the United States. The backlash was immediate. NBC fired him and universities revoked his honorary degrees. In what seems like ancient history, the media pulled the “racist” card. Up until then, that’s all that was needed to destroy a person. But Donald Trump wasn’t an ordinary person. Cancel culture only works if you agree to get cancelled and Trump broke the media playbook when he didn’t let the card affect him. Within months, the hoaxes started. From urinating on prostitutes to Russia to white supremacists are “fine people,” the media couldn’t make up the lies fast enough and Mr. Trump became President Trump. Along the way, the media continued to feed the broken brains of seemingly intelligent people and some deranged lunatics as they ramped up the messaging to end of the world status. “Dictator”…”Threat To Democracy” “Existential Threat” and ”Hitler” to just name a few. The media never believed this and neither did the political figures that followed their lead.

It was a political tactic to win an election for their team but they also knew that some in their audience would believe it. Law enforcement understands this all too well. The FBI Assailant Study showed that 28% of those that killed cops did so because of “political reasons.” “The assailants inspired by social and/or political reasons believed that attacking police officers was their way to “get justice” for those who had been, in their view, unjustly killed by law enforcement. These assailants expressed that they were distrustful of the police due to previous personal interactions with law enforcement and what they heard and read in the media about other incidents involving law enforcement shootings. Specifically in the Dallas, TX, and Baton Rouge, LA, attacks, the assailants said they were influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, and their belief that law enforcement was targeting black males.” This danger remains in law enforcement and is one reason that communication is a prominent component in our leadership seminar. The media stokes home grown terrorism and that is exactly what happened this past Saturday in a Pennsylvania field. A 13 year old kid listened to the mainstream media and their political allies for years and made a decision that the only way to stop Hitler was to kill him. He came within a few centimeters of doing it. Don’t let the media and the politicians change history. Their talk of calming the rhetoric will only be temporary. It’s all they know. Cops have died because of them. Cities have burned because of them. Citizens have died because of them. And now, a former President endured an attempted assassination because of them. Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance. The Blues - August ‘24 25