The situation was/is set up to bring out the worst in the Trumps. With respect to every Trump, including Melania, anyone who is critical of them – even once – is a horrible person who can only be redeemed through praise that moots all criticism.

Even worse, the Trumps actively cheer on bad fortune for those who’ve earned their enmity. We give you Donald Trump Jr. and his mockery of the Paul Pelosi attack and the Nancy Pelosi love and terror.

Ohio nominee for the United States Senate, Tim Ryan, attended a town hall hosted by Fox today. The Fox panel went through a litany of fair questions about the economy, the border, and others. It was a friendly crowd that generally cheered Ryan’s answers.

Ryan then condemned the Pelosi attack.

An audience member asked, through the hosts:

Paul asks, Why did Ryan, what did Ryan mean about kill and confront? When you said this in a statement with regard to MAGA, the movement, what you said specifically in today’s political climate? Shouldn’t you apologize and retract that statement? Says Paul.

And from Mediaite:

“I will say that this extremist movement absolutely needs to be confronted, but I think,” Ryan replied.

“To kill the movement?” jumped in Baier.

“Maybe that wasn’t a great choice of words. Absolutely confront and absolutely stop the extremist movement happening,” Ryan said.

Whatever one thought of the original statement, which isn’t provided, Ryan redeemed himself by saying the extremist movement must be stopped. After a few more paragraphs about politics being above violence, he turned to Don Jr.’s response, to even wilder applause:

“What Donald Trump Jr. posted, he posted a pair of underwear that a, you know, grandpa would wear with a hammer on it and said, this is my Halloween uniform. I’m going as Paul Pelosi. That is an atrocious thing to do,” Ryan continued, adding:

“I don’t care. I’m sorry, but. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t care what your politics are. It’s not about that. Is this the kind of country we’re going to leave to our kids and our grandkids?”

“Where it’s okay if you disagree politically with the speaker of the House that you can go in there and beat up her or her husband with a hammer? If that was a Republican. I would absolutely condemn it. And here’s the thing.”

The applause got wilder when Ryan mentioned that J.D. Vance hadn’t said a thing about Don Jr.’s statement. Republicans Mike DeWine and Rob Portman had issued statements, but not J.D. Vance. The applause got even louder.

Ryan finished by saying that regardless of politics, we have to get back to being Americans. So Ryan answered the question about killing the movement by talking about stopping a movement that takes violence as both a serious and a laughing matter. Why wouldn’t it? The Trumps condone Don Jr. mocking a near-fatal attack.