The chilling incident involving a bullet narrowly missing Donald Trump, the previous Republican president and current presidential candidate, continues to reverberate through an already divided American election period as the nation comes to terms with yet another terrifying assassination attempt targeting a politician.
The terrifying event resulted in one fatality, a spectator at Trump’s political gathering in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. Additionally, several other attendees at the rally, which was nationally televised, sustained injuries and the event concluded in a dreadfully distressing and all too familiar scene. The identified shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, hailing from Bethel Park, a well-off suburb of Pittsburgh. Counter-snipers neutralised him only moments after his attempt to kill Trump from a barn roof overlooking the open-space rally.
As the enquiry into the fallen shooter’s background and motives moves forward, and questions concerning the rally’s security measures arise, representatives from the Republican as well as Democratic parties have started recognising that the intense and highly-strung dialogue characterising the political landscape may be partly to blame for this latest dreadful act.
Representative Steve Scalise, a Republican who himself was a victim of gun violence whilst participating in a House baseball practice session in 2017, cautioned that the volatile rhetoric employed by the political left had led to this critical juncture in an election campaign repeatedly dubbed as a fundamental battle for democracy.
Scalise said, “There has been a relentless attack on the person of Donald Trump for years now, and it all accumulates.”
The traumatic events of Saturday evening make this argument hard to refute. However, in this atrocity’s wake, both parties will need to reflect on the language they utilise when expressing their vastly differing ideological perspectives on what constitutes a prosperous future for America. In recent years, political discourse has increasingly veered towards the extreme, crude and rash. The sudden, horrifying burst of gunfire that wreaked death and disorder amidst the peaceful Pennsylvanian countryside served as a stark reminder of the significance words hold.
The first appeal for unified action came from Trump’s spouse, and former First Lady, Melania Trump.
“America may be fractured, but we must gift courage and rationality wings and unite as a nation,” she has shared on a social media platform. Offering her condolences to the families affected by the shooting, she went on: “An individual who saw my husband as nothing more than an unfeeling political engine tried to end his life – to strip away his lighthearted nature, his creativity, his musical love and motivation. Yet the fundamental aspects of his life – the humanity within him – remained overshadowed by his political persona. Donald has been a kind and thoughtful partner during our life’s highs and lows.
“Let’s not forget that when we step beyond political party lines, when we look beyond the dichotomy of left and right and red and blue, we’re all rooted in familial love and share a common goal of improving life collectively, here on earth.”
This woman, known for her reserved nature when it comes to political matters, gave an unusual plea for unity, especially considering her noticeable absence from the campaign trail.
The confirmation arrived on Sunday that Donald Trump, having emerged relatively unharmed from the incident, will deliver his speech at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee next Thursday as originally intended. This places him amongst the grim ranks of American political figures, from Abraham Lincoln and the Kennedy brothers to Martin Luther King and Ronald Reagan, who were victims of gun violence. It also amplifies the perception of Trump as an unstoppable force. His adeptness with the rapid and evolving media age is undeniable.
A remarkable picture taken on Saturday captured the dull metallic blur of the bullet as it skimmed past his head brushing his right ear and drawing blood. Reacting as if he was bitten by a bug he took cover, finding safety behind his Secret Service detail only moments later. Emerging, he raised a clenched fist to reassure his supporters, a smear of blood staining his cheek, the American flag a backdrop to the clear blue sky. He somehow turned the chaos and fear into lasting political iconography. It comes as no surprise that he will be met with a hero’s welcome when he addresses the public in Milwaukee.
The incident of shooting has served as a chilling omen of the potential future if both Republicans and Democrats continue on their current relentless trajectory of aggressive confrontation and retaliation. The political middle ground is at risk of collapse. When veteran Republican Lindsey Graham was given the opportunity on Sunday morning to criticise his political adversaries, he chose simply to express: “Well, there’s significant exasperation amongst us regarding the treatment of President Trump, but today, I am merely relieved that he is alive. I don’t wish to embark on that path at this moment.”
It symbolises not so much a path, but rather represents a precipice.