The first questions, of course, have to do with the incident itself: the perpetrator, the motivation, and the method. Not forgetting: how the hell could this have happened?
It’s hard to believe for anyone who has attended a Trump event and witnessed the security firewall that separates the man from the masses. The agents tasked with protecting Donald Trump, whether Secret Service or otherwise, are facing questioning over a fundamental flaw in the job.
Allowing a former and possibly future president to be caught in the crosshairs of a sniper’s bullet puts them in the line of fire and will be held accountable for the actions that resulted in death, if not the primary target.
In the aftermath of the shooting, a witness told media microphones that he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. He is not alone in a country that feels the persistent undercurrent of political violence.
Time will tell if and how anything changes.
In a statement, President Biden referred to “Donald,” calling the attack “sickening” and saying “there is no place for this type of violence in the United States.” Democrats pulled anti-Trump campaign ads, for now.
The benevolence was not matched by a post on ‘X’ by Republican House member Mike Collins shortly after the assassination attempt. He wrote that the president had “sent the orders” for the shooting, referencing a statement in which Biden had said: “We’re done talking about the (television) debate. It’s time to put Trump on target.”
The House member’s post was later deleted. A recognition that he had gone too far, like the rhetoric of violence in general? Perhaps it was a unique position for a retired politician.
Donald Trump has issued a statement following a shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
The United States, certainly, is a country in need of a readjustment of its politics, plagued by division and malevolence.
Will an assassination attempt change the tenor?
Read more:
Armed man ‘identified’ as video shows body and rifle on roof
‘Pop pop pop’ – Witnesses describe moment of shooting
In pictures: Gunman fires multiple shots at Trump rally
In the wake of the events in Pennsylvania, Trump’s opponents recalled how, in the past, he had joked about the brutal assault on the husband of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Likewise, his downplaying of a kidnapping plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was not forgotten.
Photo: AP
No one is claiming that anything justified an assassination attempt, but the clear suggestion is that Donald Trump played his part in changing the rules of engagement and recklessly fueling hostility in American politics.
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Needs a reboot. Saturday’s shocking events provide an opportunity for all members of the American political establishment to assess the value of change as they head into an election campaign proper.
The American political landscape needs to be reframed: it’s all too evident in the images emerging from Butler, Pennsylvania.
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