A few inches to the left and the bullet would have been fatal to Donald Trump. Because his death would make him a “martyr” with unintended consequences, now not only could he be saved, but all of America could rejoice.
This is argued by the essayist Edward Luce Financial TimesLike many analysts, Trump is concerned about the message Trump is sending to his supporters after his assassination attempt.
Luce, who views the Republican candidate’s exhortation to shout “fight” after the assassination attempt as a call for more violence in America, says his image, bloodied and fist raised, will become his campaign poster.
Image of Trump with raised fist
Trump can jump
From a chest-to-chest battle with Biden, Trump may now, according to analysts, make the leap. Since being accused of a series of crimes, he may seem like a victim who won’t give up.
Before the first evidence of the 20-year-old gunman’s shooting was gathered, top Republicans preparing to nominate a vice president quickly blamed Democrats and the left for the assassination attempt.
It does not matter that Thomas Matthew Crooks was registered on the Republican Party list and that he acted alone with no ties to foreign or American organizations.
On social media, conspiracy theories give and take, with Biden calling on Americans to wait for the results of the investigation, which will examine, among other things, whether there are security gaps.
He sowed the wind
“No one can ignore that the former president is the most influential person in the country’s political violence,” Luce notes and cites incidents in recent years.
From the far-right attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to jokes about the assassination attempt on Pelosi’s husband by a supporter, Trump praised, supported, booed and called on his supporters to take matters into their own hands.
The recent incidents of violence come at a time of divisiveness and anger
Such an attack with a semi-automatic AR-15 that nearly killed a party leader has, at other times, led to cross-party calls for gun control. “There is no way Trump’s party will change its mind on this issue. “The number of AR-15s in the United States is estimated to be 44 million, and that compares only to political violence in the United States in the past,” Luce points out.
Much depends on Trump’s reaction. He himself has called for national unity on social media, but that does not mean he will decide to cut back on his election campaign.
His election campaign in general
And unlike Democrats, who have canceled anti-Trump appearances and campaign ads for the next few days, his campaign is progressing as planned.
The former president will finally head to the Republican convention tomorrow, Monday, where he is expected to receive the anointing, characteristically writing:
“I intend to delay my trip to Milwaukee for two days because of yesterday’s terrible events. But I’m not going to let a sniper or an assassin force me to change my schedule or anything. So, I will leave for Milwaukee as planned.”
Democrats appeal for unity
For Democrats, on the other hand, analysts point out that this could be an opportunity for Biden to deal with the domestic backlash to his candidacy. Indeed, the naysayers seem to be raising their voices.
Even Democratic Party officials will shift attention away from Biden’s appearance, which has done him a lot of damage, hoping that turning to Trump will benefit their party.
Of course, Trump, like other far-right leaders, has proven that they are not affected or exposed by the publicity, but they use it to increase their influence.
“Violence does not belong in America”
The mark that Democrats follow is given by Biden in his statements. While expressing his gratitude that Trump is well, he insisted that “violence does not belong in America.”
In fact, the two had a brief interaction, with Biden referring to the former president as Donald, something that’s quite rare.
US President and Vice President Kamala Harris has canceled events scheduled for the next few days.
After announcing an investigation into whether the security services were responsible for Trump’s assassination attempt, Biden appealed for unity:
“This assassination attempt is against everything and everything we stand for as a nation. That is not who we are as a nation. This is not America and we cannot allow this. Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but none more important,” the US president added.
How will Trump respond?
It remains to be seen whether Trump will adopt a unified rhetoric or follow a familiar path ahead of the November election. Until yesterday he appeared to be fighting against the establishment.
Now he and his followers can use the assassination attempt against him to further highlight his alleged anti-establishment.
The most worrying thing in America, however, is if the country sinks into another cycle of violence.
Sarks of flesh
Presidential election historian Tim Naftali told CNN that there have been cycles of violence against presidential candidates in American politics — often during times of social change, such as in 1968 when Robert F. Like when Kennedy and Martin Luther King were shot. He said political violence “has been nurtured since the beginning of this country”.
“It’s something we have to remember — we can do it as a nation,” Naftali said. “The people who do that are, of course, extremists, but their extremism, anger and hatred sometimes boils over in our elections as a result.”
The recent incidents of violence come at a time of divisiveness and anger.
Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson told CNN that Americans across the board are angry and frustrated.
“I keep seeing data that says Americans are getting more and more angry about what’s going on in this country, and they’re getting more and more frustrated that traditional ways of solving problems are no longer working.”