“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
At 6:15 PM yesterday, a would-be assassin fired several shots at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. The president was struck in the ear by a bullet that, had it been an inch closer, would have ended his life and shaken the nation to its core. Unfortunately, a supporter of Mr. Trump was shot and killed by a round to the head. Fortunately, a Secret Service countersniper managed to neutralize the attacker.
The reactions to this event are the best one could have wished for. Almost everyone I know, irrespective of their opinions of Mr. Trump (which they no doubt have), views this attack with disgust and is relieved to see him emerge relatively unscathed. President Joe Biden, former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama all issued statements of support and condemnation of the assassination attempt. Despite the viciousness of this present campaign, Mr. Biden reached out to Mr. Trump on the phone last night.
But this is what America is about.
America’s character is one of grit, fortitude, and unshakable resilience. There was no greater example of this than after the heinous September 11th attacks. Despite our differences and disagreements, we have our own ‘Article Five’—where an attack on one of us is an attack on all. I am touched by the outpouring of support from politicians, particularly those like Bernie Sanders, who we know are no fans of Mr. Trump, and by the denouncement and disgust at this cowardly attack coming from friends, family, neighbors, fellow citizens, whether they are political or not, Democrat or Republican. All decent people are rightfully disgusted by this, and Americans are decent people.
At a time of historic polarization, it seems like we are constantly set against each other, and the political center cannot hold as the country grows increasingly divided. Tragedies like this are when we come together and rediscover our love for our country and each other. After the Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln brought the defeated South back into the fold with the mourning North. The same Southern newspapers that had weeks prior vilified Lincoln as a dictatorial tyrant and warmonger were outraged at the brutality and cowardice behind his killing.
Since we do not know anything about the now-deceased shooter, save for his name and age and the fact that his motives remain unknown at the present time, I will refrain from speculation, conspiracy, or baseless assertions in the interest of not adding more heat to an already inflamed country.
What I can say is that I am thankful that Donald Trump is safe; my prayers are with him, his wife, and his children. I am heartbroken for the rally-goers who were injured and the person who was killed. If not for the wind, and had it gone a few centimeters closer, we would have witnessed something horrific on television, something that could have set our country ablaze. Some will see the hand of providence or merely good fortune, likely a combination of both.
After being shot, with screams echoing throughout the rally and the Secret Service immediately rushing the stage, I was awed by how Mr. Trump did not falter. He raised himself up and immediately raised his fist to the crowd—screams of despair turned into a lion’s roar of approval. Theodore Roosevelt was shot in 1912 during a campaign event; he mocked his attacker as he was dragged away and finished his speech before seeking medical attention. Ronald Reagan, nearly dying in an assassination attempt in 1981, told his wife Nancy, upon arriving at the hospital, “Honey, I forgot to duck,” and joked that he hoped his surgeons “were all Republicans.” The image of Mr. Trump defiantly raising his fist will be etched into history, just like that of George W. Bush standing defiantly on the rubble of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn.
His reaction—unhesitatingly getting back on his feet—was uniquely American. That photo of him defiantly raising his hand is something to be appreciated by supporters, the politically apathetic, and opponents alike. And in the aftermath of such a grotesque and barbaric incident, I am comforted by how America, at a time when it seems we are indeed on the edge of an abyss, has taken a step back and found itself again.