JD Vance isn’t ready for the memes

Assassination tweets are new — American violence isn’t. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, an electoral promise of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - JD Vance [gets asked](. - America’s very [violent past](. - [Esport players]( get harassed. - [A new CEO](? That was fast. Sickos, All of You Saturday’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump confirmed the obvious: The nation is [sick](. And it has been for a long time. Less than an hour after shots rang out at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, social media was inundated with [memes](. Memes about getting [ear piercings]( at Claire’s. Memes about your [worst uncle](. Memes about [Martin Luther King Jr]( and [John Wilkes Booth](. Memes that traveled as fast, if not faster, as the video of the calamity, which Tim O’Brien [says]( “raced across mobile phones, social media platforms and TV screens shortly after shots were fired.” And the [image]( of Trump, bloodied and raising his fist to the crowd as secret service agents held him back, instantly became 2024’s version of Washington Crossing the Delaware. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP, Painting: The Met Collection Yet when Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze [painted]( that oil-on-canvas in 1851, there were no iPhones or New York Times alerts. Likewise, when Ronald Reagan survived a failed assassination 43 years ago, voters relied on word-of-mouth, TV, radio and newspapers. “In that regard, the Trump shooting is even further removed from John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963; further still, of course, from Abraham Lincoln’s in 1865,” Tim says. Yet “the US has been a violent country since its founding,” he argues. “The arc of brutality connecting the Civil War era to the Trump era is more direct than the communication and technological gaps separating them suggest.” To end America’s “history of savagery,” as Tim calls it, we must indeed “[cool down](” violent rhetoric and physical threats. And we must contend with the ease with which mass-killing machines can turn words of hatred into violence with a press of a trigger. “There is only one thing that differentiates [Thomas Matthew Crooks](, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, the man the FBI says is responsible for the shooting, from millions of other Americans who didn’t try to kill an ex-president: He added a loaded gun to his problems and brought the whole mess to a violent climax,” Francis Wilkinson [writes](. As 50,000 people [gather]( at the [Republican National Convention]( this week, the Second Amendment will no doubt be [a topic]( of discussion, as will [the dismissal]( of the former president’s classified documents case. Trump and his new VP pick, JD Vance, could harness this moment to pivot the nation in a more peaceful direction. But will they? Considering Vance was one of many MAGA-teers [blaming]( Biden for the assassination attempt, Patricia Lopez [has little faith]( in his abilities to tone down the Trumpiness. Here’s hoping the Hillbilly Elegy [author]( proves her wrong. Bonus GOP Reading: “American conservatism — especially the Trumpian version that the party is going to embrace in Milwaukee — looks worryingly like [Boris] Johnson’s concoction of four and a half years ago,” John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge [warn](. The Tories — no longer in power after steering the UK for 14 years — broke the two most basic electoral promises of modern conservatism: competent leadership and small government. It’s a lesson in how not to restore the confidence of conservative voters. Sexist Sports I watched Wimbledon for the tennis, sure. But the [serves]( in [the stands](?! That’s where the real game is. There was [Charli XCX](. The [Princess of Wales](. [Zendaya]( (duh). Jamie Dornan [and]( Paul Mescal. I honestly can’t tell you who won! But the outfits were delicious. Yet at the other major sporting event of the month — haha no, not the Euros or the Copa America — spectators were [mainly online](. Saudi Arabia’s first-ever [Esports World Cup]( had a $60 million prize pool, only $4 million less than the Wimbledon pot. Yet unlike the tennis tournament, Adam Minter [says]( it’s “the esports event’s prize money is not awarded equally to male and female players. Of its 22 matches, there’s only one — [Mobile Legends: Bang Bang]( or ML:BB — reserved for women.” And it’s not just the World Cup with a problem. In 2023, male esports players took home around [$179 million]( in prize money. Women, meanwhile, landed a paltry [$2.4 million](. The root cause for the gamer pay gap, is — shocker!!! — sexism. “It’s not uncommon for female players to be asked to leave games after male players realize they’re playing with or against women,” Adam writes. What’s the solution here? Adam suggests tournaments should require all-male teams to be more inclusive. If they refuse to let women join their ranks, it’s game over. Simple as that. Telltale Charts Burberry’s been in the trenches both [literally]( and [figuratively]( for over a decade. But things appear to be getting decidedly worse. Just this morning, CEO Jonathan Akeroyd got the boot after a third profit warning. “Turning things around has clearly been difficult,” Andrea Felsted [writes](, “but the sudden CEO switch is shortsighted.” Akeroyd “took the helm at a time when luxury sales were sliding after three years of blockbuster growth.” New efforts to make the brand more “inclusive and democratic” completely undermine the previous goal to take it upmarket. Despite England’s nine-year onshore wind ban — a policy that Lara Williams say [took]( Labour only 72 hours to dump — the world managed to double its wind turbine energy generation between 2018 and 2023. The same cannot be said about hydro power. David Fickling notes how “the hydroelectric dams that generate about one-seventh of the world’s electricity stood still” through that same time period — evidence of [a dry spell]( we can’t afford to ignore. Further Reading Hiding bills from credit records won’t make [medical debt]( go away. — Bloomberg’s editorial board New bridges and tunnels are nice, but Amtrak [needs this]( more. — Justin Fox Gen Alpha’s [obsession with Sephora]( is a hidden opportunity. — Lisa Jarvis South Africa’s [bond market]( proves democracy is a capitalist tool. — Matthew A. Winkler Putin is [crushing the Arctic]( while the US is barely afloat. — James Stavridis Cote d’Ivoire, known for its cocoa, faces an uncertain [political future](. — Ken Opalo Why are governments and Big Tech collecting [so much data]( on citizens? — Catherine Thorbecke ICYMI Forbes [pulled]( that tasteless op-ed on Trump. Copenhagen offers perks to [green tourists](. The end of Taylor Swift’s [chart reign]( is near. Kickers The [air fryer]( changed the freezer aisle. [Spray-on shoes]( have arrived. Nicolas Cage [goes to bed]( at 7:30 p.m. France got a [cheese museum](. Notes: Please send [Totino’s Pizza Rolls]( and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. 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