There was a time in this country when wishing death upon a sitting president — regardless of party — would have ended your public life overnight. Not just your political career. Your public life. You’d be done. The very idea of celebrating an assassination attempt would have drawn universal, bipartisan condemnation without a second thought. Apparently, we don’t live in that country anymore.
The modern left has crossed into territory that should disturb every American with a functioning conscience. We’re not talking about heated disagreement or sharp political rhetoric. We’re talking about a gleeful, commercialized hatred that doesn’t just tolerate political violence — it prints it on merchandise and rings up the sale. What just happened in Wisconsin proves the Democrat Party hasn’t simply lost its compass. It’s torched the whole map.
From Fox News:
Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad, who offered free beer in the event of President Donald Trump’s death, announced his bid for Wisconsin governor on Sunday.
“I’m running for Governor because I believe Wisconsin needs a battle-hardened fighter to join the rest of America to save our Democracy from Trump’s regime, and that person doesn’t exist in the crowded field of Democrats currently running in Wisconsin’s Gubernatorial primary,” Bangstad wrote in a Substack post on Sunday.
Go ahead and reread that. A man whose entire political identity revolves around profiting from the prospect of a president’s death now believes he’s the leader Wisconsin needs. I wish I were making this up. The Democrat Party in 2026, ladies and gentlemen.
A “free beer day” for assassination
Kirk Bangstad isn’t some anonymous keyboard warrior hiding behind a burner account. He’s a business owner who built a long-running, publicly advertised promotion promising free beer to customers on the day President Trump dies. When shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in late April — a genuine assassination attempt that could have killed the president and members of his Cabinet — Bangstad’s brewery didn’t pause in horror. It hopped on social media.
“Well, we almost got #freebeerday,” the post read. “Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle.”
A man reacted to an actual attempt on the president’s life by lamenting the shooter’s poor aim. Meanwhile, his company’s online store hawks merchandise reading “I wish it was free beer day at Minocqua Brewing Company” and “Is he dead yet?” This goes well beyond political dissent. It’s the monetization of eliminationist rhetoric against a sitting president — packaged for purchase.
Even the FBI came knocking
Federal authorities weren’t amused. The FBI and Secret Service met with Bangstad on April 30, issuing a joint statement confirming they “followed up on perceived threats against the president of the United States.” The Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau — his own neighbors — publicly distanced itself, declaring it “strongly reject[s] any rhetoric that makes light of or promotes political violence in any form.”
Members of Wisconsin’s own Democrat Party stepped back from him, too. Bangstad’s response? Blame everyone else. He pointed fingers at “Trump’s propaganda machine.” He accused the media of “cancerous bothside-ism.” Not once did he consider that maybe — just maybe — celebrating a shooting was the problem.
Before his FBI meeting, Bangstad posted a statement dripping with self-important paranoia: “If you don’t hear from our socials tonight, something is wrong. I am of sound mind and body, and am in no way thinking of harming myself.” As though federal agents investigating threats against the president were the real villains in this story. Stunning lack of self-awareness.
From FBI meeting to campaign launch
Days later — the same week he sat across from FBI and Secret Service agents — Kirk Bangstad announced he was running for governor of Wisconsin. His platform? “Saving our democracy.” His track record? A social media following and two electoral losses, having failed in bids for Congress in 2015 and the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2020.
He brings no policy vision beyond opposition. His SuperPAC exists solely to “remove Republican federal and state elected officials.” This isn’t a serious campaign. It’s a tantrum with a filing fee.
The crowded Democratic primary already includes multiple established candidates. Yet the party’s response to Bangstad has been tepid at best — reactive distancing rather than forceful condemnation. Their timidity speaks volumes.
There was a time when both parties understood that certain lines were never crossed. Celebrating political violence was one of them. Kirk Bangstad didn’t just cross that line — he slapped a logo on it and turned it into a revenue stream. That he now believes this qualifies him for the governor’s mansion isn’t merely delusional. It’s a mirror the Democrat Party should be forced to confront every single day between now and November. Wisconsin voters — particularly those in Bangstad’s own deep-red Oneida County — will have the final word. Something tells me they won’t be buying what he’s selling.
Key Takeaways
- Kirk Bangstad celebrated an assassination attempt on President Trump, then announced a run for governor.
- The FBI and Secret Service investigated Bangstad over perceived threats against the president.
- Bangstad offers zero policy vision beyond anti-Trump rage and “resistance” merchandise sales.
- Wisconsin Democrats have responded with tepid distancing rather than forceful condemnation of violent rhetoric.
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