The live images of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, seeing security forces rush the former president from the stage he was speaking to his motorcade, has been the most unsettling moment in years to an American public, which has been already on edge from a series of menacing turns in politics—the bullet that scathed Trump’s ear was just inches away from dealing him a fatal blow. It was certainly a dark day for America.
There are a lot of questions to be answered as to
how the Secret Service could allow such a collapse in security,
especially after a warning from an eyewitness to the Secret Service and police about the would-be shooter on roof went unheard, which is absolutely intolerable!
While the shooter has been identified as twenty-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican, the motive of the shooting remains unclear. The gunfire aimed at a former and potentially future president has intensified the feeling many Americans have held that this year’s presidential election is careening toward a disturbing conclusion. This, nevertheless, raises the question as to whether political leaders themselves have created the kindling for this and other incidents by sparking political polarization, especially when both presidential candidates have accused each other undermining the principles of our democracy.
Trump has regularly retorted to inflammatory, and at times, violent rhetoric that has generated anger at President Joe Biden. He has warned of ‘potential death and destruction’ if charged with crimes and has suggested that he would be justified to prosecute his political opponents if reelected. Indeed, in 2018, right before midterm elections, a Florida man mailed pipe bombs to prominent critics of then-President Trump, among them former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, then-Senator Kamala Harris.
There has also been, especially on social media, a lot of finger-pointing. Within minutes of the first televised images of this haunting event, many on the left argued that Trump himself staged the shooting, though they were hardly household names.
On the other side, Republican, like Ohio Senator James D. Vance of Ohio and Vice President contender, blamed Democrats for the assassination on Trump:
‘The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.’
Biden had reportedly told donors last Monday:
‘I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.’
House Republican Mike Collins of Georgia went so far to say, without any foundation, on X that ‘Joe Biden sent the orders’ to assassinate his political rival.
I recall as a child when our nation was in shock as we saw on our tv screens the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr. in 1981. Immediately, both Democrats and Republicans offered prayers and showed their support for the president. Notwithstanding their disagreements on domestic and foreign policies, both sides put politics aside and came together as Americans.
With regard to yesterday, it is as if we are seeing the opposite.
The day after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, President Lyndon B. Johnson said:
‘Once again, the heart of America is heavy — the spirit of America weeps — for a tragedy that denies the very meaning of our land. The life of a man who symbolized the freedom and faith of America has been taken. But it is the fiber and the fabric of the Republic that is being tested. If we are to have the America that we mean to have, all men — of all races, all regions, all religions — must stand their ground to deny violence its victory in this sorrowful time and in all times to come.’
President Biden condemned the assassination attempt and said:
‘I’m grateful to hear that he’s [Trump] safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety.’
I personally feel that given the actual situation in America, he should have the decency to quit the presidential race and release his delegates. In this he could help, as president, help calm the storm.
Trump, just as when he raised his arm with a clinched fist letting everyone know after being shot, should go further and publicly state that Biden—so long as he stays in the race—is not an enemy. If he is able to convince his base that the divisions in the U.S. must come to an end, he would be forever remembered as the man who united the United States of America during its most challenging moment in modern era, and only he can accomplish this for his country!
God bless America!
