Trump’s would-be assassinator really did us a service. The already charged political atmosphere in America has now heated up not least due to the conspiracy theories spun out of the Republican mill. Those on the leftist bandwagon on the other hand have gone so far as to claim that it’s been staged, “not a real bullet, you see; a silly pellet”, “the blood should have splattered across his face, just a streak, not convincing” . While factions are getting factionalised further in what is now a routine theatrical campaign mode for Americans there are comparisons with Trump’s apparent heroism in hitting the fist pump amid the chaos as the secret service scrambled to protect him, his ears bleeding, and Biden’s mental and physical fragility, a fact exemplified by his struggle to put together a coherent phrase and climb two stairs. The picture that was clicked by an AFP photographer which has Trump doing the fist pump with the American flag flying in the background is likely to galvanise his support base, and possibly draw in the neutrals. It sets a terrific scene. And gives us a insider perspective into what Hillary Clinton has claimed is his “animal instinct” — the ability to sense every twitch of nerve, understand the weaknesses of the opponent, put himself in the limelight, and real good street-style common sense. His words as the fist was raised were “fight, fight, fight”. Setting aside the perceptible gallantry of the phrase, what’s exactly is this “fight” against? It’s interesting given that it is Trump and his acolytes that had endorsed the apparently “patriotic” rioters to storm the capitol hill. In the last day’s assassination attempt which is unfortunate and troubling for the US, Trump has managed to turn the narrative around him. He is posturing as the one fighting against the establishment. Even when the bullet pierced his ear, a part of him was sure that he was not going to let go of this opportunity, an opportunity like no other. He has captured the moment.
On the other side of the political divide we have the frail Biden who can’t speak sensibly for ten minutes straight. The Democratic establishment that has been protecting him for weeks with cover-up and lies stands exposed. From calling Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” to addressing Ukraine President Zelensky as “President Putin” (even worse) there’s no reason to think that this octogenarian will be capable of leading the government. The septuagenarian Trump may look like a shabby old man, but his will supersedes his physical deficiencies. And he strongly believes that he can beat sleepy-Joe.
While Trump’s assassinator may have done ironically done us a service by spiking the political atmosphere, hard-line republicans can’t belt up. Blame has been heaped on the Government for not adequately providing him with security cover. While this claim can be disputed, there are serious concerns about the functioning of the security service in the country. Multiple assassinations against sitting presidents have been attempted in the past — worse, when Obama was the President a shot into the White House went unheeded for four days dismissing it as noise from a nearby construction project, until a house keeper pointed out a broken window. The service has been riled with corruption and ineptitude. This is concerning in a country where arms are wielded freely, so much that we have reached a stage where a twenty-year old can ponder about shooting down a former president running for election. Gun violence is at a historic high and several firing incidents are reported every week.
What might have prompted Thomas Crooks’ to carry a rifle to the Pennsylvania rally? What might have persuaded a high-school graduate to turn into a sniper on that odd day? The case makes for an interesting investigation as the boy has been found to be a locally registered member of the Republican party. He is described as being bright at “math” and a “conservative” by his former school-mates. What the truth holds for this odd tale of attempted political murder and for the country as a whole and the tumultuous time it’s been going through remains to be seen. A few things are certain: the killer undertook a dangerous path in his pursuit for killing a popular, polarising figure, succumbing to a counter-fire in the immediate aftermath, and a precious life was lost, that of an unassuming rally-goer who may have never imagined this fate when he stepped out of his house. Trump had been scoring more in poll-ratings after the depressing debate and during the days in the run up to the assassination. Now his re-election, the prospect of a dangerous Trump 2.0 at the White House, on November 5th looks increasingly probable.
The Unsaturated Reader 