Courage, defiance or reckless play in front of the cameras even in the most dangerous moments.
However you look at it, that footage of donald trump Refusing to leave the stage before showing his supporters his clenched fist will now help define his re-election campaign.
It is an extraordinary vision. The former president has just got shotthrough his ear, and his Secret Service escort team begs him to move.
Latest shooting: Trump seen for first time since assassination attempt
“Let me put my shoes on,” he says repeatedly, as they say, “we have to get you to the car.”
Their agents are trained to put their bodies between their charge and more potential bullets and they were doing exactly that.
But Donald Trump was not moving with them to safety. “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” he insists repeatedly.
Photo: AP
Not until he knew that the cameras had a clear image of him and his gesture of defiance. Only then does he let himself go.
There are already comparisons with Ronald Reagan, the last president to survive being shot in 1981.
“Honey, I forgot to bend over,” he joked to his wife Nancy. To his surgeon before emergency surgery: “Please tell me you’re all Republicans.” Reagan was later re-elected.
President Ronald Reagan is pushed into his limousine by Secret Service agents after being shot outside a Washington hotel on March 30, 1981. Photo: AP
Will this moment and Trump’s response similarly elevate him in the eyes of voters? And, of course, we wonder: will it help Trump or hinder him in his effort to become president again?
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‘Pop pop pop’ – Witnesses describe moment of shooting
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American politics can be gladiatorial. Donald Trump’s supporters will say he showed real courage.
In America it’s not about getting knocked down, they say, but about getting back up.
He found the courage to stand his ground and project courage, his admirers will argue, comparing all of this unfavorably to his rival.
How the attack on Trump unfolded: all angles
On the other hand, critics may accuse him of endangering his guards for precious seconds while trying to take advantage of a photo opportunity amidst all the danger.
But the key question will be what impact this will have on the undecided, those voters whose support he needs to secure to take back the White House.
Will they be reassured by his apparent resistance or will they see last night’s attack as a harbinger of things to come in the United States?
Gunman’s body on roof after shooting
There was already widespread fear of violence and conflict during a second Trump term.
Will undecided voters be won over by Trump’s clenched fist or will they see this as a glimpse of the future: a polarizing president who has undoubtedly stoked division and is now reaping the whirlwind?
There have already been many predictions but it is actually too early to say.
Photo: AP
This extraordinary moment could be played in several ways. And we should also note that, despite all the drama surrounding these events, political violence in the United States is as old as its democracy.
Of equal importance will be how this affects Trump the candidate, Trump the activist, and Trump the man?
Assassination attempts leave their mark, as biographers of other survivors, from Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher, recount.
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The Donald Trump of 2024 has been much more disciplined than the activist of eight years ago.
That has also helped reassure voters, avoiding the tumultuous antics of that first campaign and the following term.
Could this attempt on his life upset that relative composure? How will it affect you emotionally and psychologically? That will also help determine how this plays out politically.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
