Trump Impressed Me When He Was Shot
But it changes nothing
I did not think Donald Trump had it in him.
The same man who dodged the draft for the Vietnam War, spends most of his time on golf courses, and looks exceedingly overweight, got shot and then almost immediately, stood up and shoved his Secret Service detail away.
He pumped his fist, with the American flag and bright blue sky behind him, and yelled, “Fight, fight, fight.”
The photo that captured it will be one of the most iconic pictures in American history. Whether you like Trump or not.
If you have read my writing since 2016, you will know I am anything but a Trump fan. I think he is a danger to democracy, America, and the world.
But last night, I was so damn impressed. If you got shot, with a decent chunk of your ear taken off and blood running down your face, it would be totally understandable for you to stay covered until your Secret Service detail escorted you off the stage, fully protected.
Trump refused. He instructed them to stop and made a few Secret Service officers duck so he could address the crowds and the cameras. With blood streaming down his face, he shook his fists and encouraged his supporters to keep fighting.
Wow.
I honestly did not think Donald Trump had that in him. I was wrong. That man is a fighter.
Now, I wouldn’t go that far, Elon, but Trump certainly displayed toughness.
Teddy Roosevelt, however, was a unique breed. He hunted big game, explored the western reaches of America, and fought in wars (the Rough Riders!). Before getting shot, Trump did nothing of the sort.
Yes, Teddy Roosevelt was shot during a campaign event, similar to Trump, in 1912, but that’s where their similarities largely end. Roosevelt was a trust buster who checked the economic concentration of big corporations. Trump’s greatest economic “achievement” from his years as President was to cut taxes that largely benefited the biggest corporations.
Regardless, Trump impressed me when he was shot. While he may not be Teddy Roosevelt (few are), he displayed a grit and intensity that I didn’t think his pampered billionaire lifestyle ingrained in him.
I’m thankful he’s set to make a full recovery. Political violence, whether from the left, right, or anywhere on the ideological spectrum should never be tolerated or promoted.
At the same time, political violence should not make the victim a martyr or folk hero. It should not elevate them to a status they did not enjoy before the attack. For the simple reason that a person must be accountable for their record, not for whether they’re attacked.
Trump was still found guilty of 34 felonies by an independent jury of his peers. He’s still facing three other major criminal cases, vetted by grand juries, and substantiated with evidence that’s pretty damning on their face.
The assassination attempt does not excuse the fact that Trump wants to isolate America from the world. Give most - if not all - of Ukraine to Putin. Signal to China that Taiwan is therefore fair game, not to mention any other country with a territorial dispute around the world.
Trump will make America and the world less safe, less stable, and less certain. It’s not an environment that business leaders want or that any ordinary citizen should desire.
And this is true regardless of whether someone tries to assassinate Trump. That horrendous act does not change Trump the candidate. It does not excuse his incessant efforts to make America and the world believe he actually won the 2020 election when 50+ courts all said he didn’t. When Fox News had to pay billions in damages for promoting those lies. When Rudy Guiliani of Four Seasons Total Landscaping fame is facing millions in damages himself for enabling Trump and his 2020 election lies.
Trump escaping death by centimeters does not change the fact almost nobody from his former administration wants to work with him again. It doesn’t excuse that he failed to call off an angry mob on January 6th that threatened to kill his own Vice President when chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”
It also does not excuse the fact that Trump joked about Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, getting bashed in the head with a hammer by a far-right nut job.
Yes, Trump impressed me when he was shot. He showed courage and strength; qualities I always doubted he possessed.
So many people on social media, however, are taking the same impressions I had from this terrible incident and are now claiming Trump will win the 2024 election in a landslide. That his victory is destiny.
What is likely destiny now is a Trump v. Biden sequel. News of Trump’s assassination attempt has removed any pressure on Biden to step down and placed it on the back burner. More people will be interested in what Trump’s ear looks like than in Biden’s mental state.
I still think Biden needs to step down, and I still think Trump poses the same dangers he did before getting shot.
We must hold politicians accountable for what they stand for, not for how others make them out to be. We must assess them critically, separate and apart from any political party affiliation.
Elon Musk and others comparing Trump to Teddy Roosevelt may be saddened to hear — even after surviving an assassination attempt less than a month before the November 1912 election, Roosevelt lost.
Being shot close to an election guarantees nothing. Even with a supercharged and rabid fan base.
Trump did impress me. The disgusting act by the shooter made me sad for Trump and America. But in the end, it changes nothing about Trump the candidate.
Donald Trump is still the same person, with the same anti-democratic agenda, and the same criminal record.
No shooter should change that.
Read more at The Political Prism
Trump v. United States: Are Presidents Now Kings? by Johnny P
This I Believe: News Requires Honesty by Brenda Mahler
The UK Is No Longer A Democratic Country by Christala Rosina
Does Biden Have the Authority To Arrest MAGA? by Rob Vanwey