One of New Jersey’s Democratic congressmen shared a reflection on the country being “unmoored” following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in western Pennsylvania this weekend.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim went viral just days into 2021, for cleaning up debris from the floor of the Rotunda, hours after destructive protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

RELATED: Photos show NJ congressman cleaning up mess left by MAGA riot

Kim is now running for U.S. Senate, as the first candidate to announce his intention to unseat Senator Bob Menendez, a fellow Democrat who has been on federal trial for corruption.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim helps ATF police officers clean up garbage in the Rotunda early Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim helps ATF police officers clean up garbage in the Rotunda early Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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His immediate response to the scene that unfolded during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was that “violence has no place in our country or politics.”

The Democrat added on Saturday: “We have major divisions in our country but we cannot resort to attacks. I hope former President Trump and those attending the rally are safe.”

In the wake of the shooting that killed one man, wounded another bystander and grazed the former president, Kim then shared a lengthier reaction to his campaign account on X.

Pres. Abraham Lincoln (WhiteHouse.gov)
Pres. Abraham Lincoln (WhiteHouse.gov)
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“When Lincoln was shot he wore a coat embroidered with 'One Country, One Destiny.' I’ve turned to those 4 words to help me process this moment. This assassination attempt was one of the worst events I’ve seen in our democracy. It feels like we are a country unmoored…”

“I’ve never experienced a time more unpredictable yet with such generational consequence. So what does this particular moment mean? I remembered a passage in a book I read. ‘Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent.’”


“And now trepidation across our nation as ‘The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world.’ We fear retaliation, reprisal or escalation. But let us remind ourselves that it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“In the aftermath of other recent shocks to our country, we failed to unify and instead sadly grew more divided. I had hoped that these shocks would be what I called defibrillator moments that would shock our irregular heart beats into normal rhythm, but we fell far short."

A motorcade, presumably transporting Donald Trump, in Bedminster, July 14, 2024 (AP PhotoSeth Wenig)
A motorcade, presumably transporting Donald Trump, in Bedminster, July 14, 2024 (AP PhotoSeth Wenig)
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“It’s not just that our divisions have grown so wide in our country, but our willingness to allow contempt to accompany us. It’s not just a disrespect that we see towards one another, it’s a deeper disregard and a disgust of one another.”

“We are losing touch with the understanding that we are all part of something bigger than all of us. As those 4 words of Lincoln - One County, One Destiny - remind us, the commonality we share runs deep and cannot be forgotten or dismissed.”

“Violence is cowardice not strength. It is fiercely undemocratic. As we process this shock, we can choose to realize that we’ve gone too far as a society down the path of contempt. We are not each other’s enemy. We are not at war with each other.”

“Choosing to unite instead of incite does not mean we dismiss the magnitude of our differences. But it compels us to be cautious and precise about our next steps, our words, and our actions in this unbelievably precarious moment.”

The Congressman ended his reflection with the following:

“One Country, One Destiny doesn’t mean we all agree, but instead reminds us that we share the same fate. We collectively mourn the death of the rally attendee, we are relieved that Trump wasn’t seriously injured. Now let’s unite around Lincoln’s vision One Country, One Destiny.”

Andy Kim
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up trash from the floor in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington a day earlier. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Responses to Kim's thoughts have varied — from those appreciating the sentiments, to others upset that Trump and his supporters have trivialized victims of gun violence.

And others responded that conservative politicians and voters have already been trying to capitalize on the harrowing situation instead of seeking to de-escalate the tension.

One person on X wrote: “Thank you for these words. I will not the voting for you in November, but for policy reasons — not because I consider you an enemy. For as much as I disagree with you, you serve with honor and respect for your office. You are worthy, in my mind, of the US Senate. I wish you well, regardless of the outcome. We should all take a deep breath. This country is going to places it does not need to go. God Bless You.”

Another said: “Your civility is admirable. Would that we could all disagree so respectfully- especially in such fraught times.”

“All very well-written and heartfelt, I'm sure. Now, how do you propose the country unify itself with one presidential candidate who took the time after being shot to further inflame a crowd of people whose minds have been poisoned against their fellow Americans?” another X user said.

Another response: “Sorry, I'm not uniting with our version of the Nazis because one of them turned on Trump.”

“How are we supposed to be one Nation when one side is trying to use minority rule to take more rights away from the marginalized and vulnerable?” another X user said.

One response to the congressman’s message used an image shared by Donald Trump Jr., mocking violence against Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who was struck with a hammer by an intruder into their private home.

Another reshared an image that had been shared in March on Trump’s own social media network, of a pickup truck with a graphic that made it look like President Joe Biden was bound in the truck bed — adding the caption, “This is the problem.”

Other critics on X seemed to take issue with Kim’s age — as the 42-year-old was not born early enough to witness first-hand the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr.

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