The attack on former President Donald Trump brought new drama to the already polarized electoral race in the United States. The incident occurred during a rally that brought together around 15,000 people, according to an estimate by the Republican Party.
The international analyst at CNN Lourival Sant’Anna classifies the attack as extremely serious. “It was a very serious attack because it hit the former president’s ear, so by just a few centimeters it was still a major catastrophe’, explained Sant’Anna.
The shooter, who was killed by security forces, likely fired from the second floor of a building close to the event site. Despite being outside the security perimeter, the relatively small distance made the attack dangerously accurate.
Trump’s reaction and impact on the campaign
Immediately after the attack, Trump demonstrated a defiant reaction, raising his fist and shouting ‘fight, fight’. He later spoke out on his social network, Truth Social, and addressed the issue as political violence.
Sant’Anna assesses that the incident could have a significant electoral impact and probably favorable to Trump. “An attack like this greatly reinforces the narrative he has adopted over the years, but especially recently in light of the legal proceedings and the conviction he has already suffered that he is a political persecutor”, explained the analyst.
Polarization and access to weapons: a dangerous combination
The analyst at CNN highlighted that the attack takes place in a context of extreme political polarization in the United States. “There is a perception on both sides that the opponent’s victory would lead to the destruction of the country, chaos or the handing over of the country to the enemies’, points out Sant’Anna.
Furthermore, easy access to firearms in the US increases the potential for violence in situations of high political tension. Sant’Anna warns that the combination of polarization and the availability of weapons creates a particularly volatile scenario.
The incident against Trump adds a new element of unpredictability to the already tumultuous American presidential race, and could significantly influence voter behavior in the coming months.
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