INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — One of Indiana’s delegates to the Republican National Convention on Monday said the atmosphere there is somewhat tempered following Saturday’s assassination attempt.

Tiffanie Ditlevson, a member of the Fishers City Council, is an alternate with Indiana’s delegation at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. She said delegates are still excited to mingle and support former President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term but Saturday’s assassination attempt, which claimed the life of one Trump supporter and put two more in the hospital, has turned the mood a little somber.

“Instead of it just being a rah-rah celebration to formally nominate our candidate, it’s done with the hindsight that we almost lost our candidate,” she said. “Of course, the sentiment is different. The importance of the event is different. Everything is different.”

Ditlevson said the security presence at the convention is very noticeable.

“If you’re in an Uber or if you’re on foot, it is very, very difficult to maneuver down here,” she said. “We all understand why. No one is questioning why. I think as much as President Trump is a target, I think our delegates, our alternate delegates, and the supporters are a little bit of targets also.”

Although Trump and President Joe Biden both have called for unity in the wake of the shooting, cybersecurity firms told the Associated Press numerous fantastical claims abounded on social media, such as claims the Biden Administration or the RNC was behind the attack.

IU political science Prof. Steven Webster, who studies political polarization, said the attempt on Trump’s life was an extreme outcome of a longtime trend in American society. He said partisan political identity has become central for many Americans, overriding identity as an American or a citizen.

“Politics has become quite central to how we view ourselves, and it can lead to a worldview of, it’s us against them,” he said.

Webster said polls consistently show very little support for political violence but the current political system favors making voters angry, as this makes it more likely people will vote. He said psychological research has shown people are more likely to be motivated by negative emotions such as fear and anger than positive ones like hope or optimism.

Webster said the way to prevent further acts of political violence is for Americans to seek out those with views very different from their own and try to understand them. He said Americans consistently misperceive members of the opposing party, including ascribing beliefs members of the opposing party don’t hold. Most of all, he said elected officials need to stop making voters angry in an effort to win at the ballot box.

“I think approaching these discussions with empathy or with a willingness to understand is a first step,” Webster said. “You may not have to agree with what somebody else thinks but at least listening to them and having that conversation, I think, is a really important thing to do.”