The image of Donald Trump, blood on his face, his right fist raised high, glaring as he says the word “fight” a few times, has been deemed by some in the media and the Right as iconic. A show of courage and strength in the face of having his ear grazed by a bullet from a would-be assassin.
Trump’s campaign chief Chris LaCivita tweeted: “Now this is some real Iwo Jima shit here.”
Actually, in the real Iwo Jima brave American soldiers risked their lives fighting a foreign enemy to protect our country and democracy. In the shooting incident on Saturday we had a draft dodger, surrounded by secret service agents shielding him more harm (all while strangely not giving him complete cover until he finished his dramatic gesture), striking a theatrical pose as he bled from a flesh wound.
I think I see a difference there.
This isn’t to diminish the seriousness of what occurred. Everyone should be appalled by the incident. We should never condone any kind of violence. We should all be happy Trump survived the shooting, although sadly a spectator was killed and two others wounded before the assailant was shot and killed.
This isn’t about mocking what happened in Butler County, PA. But it is a warning that for all the press coverage, and the statements from the pundits and politicians on both sides, nothing changes about who Trump is or the danger he presents to our democracy and rule of law.
What is he calling on his followers to “fight” for? I’ll tell you, it was to continue to advance his quest for power. He still seeks to be an authoritarian president. He still lusts to inflict revenge against his perceived enemies and garner the spoils of what would be a stunningly corrupt administration. Protect 2025 is still out there, ready to help him at every turn. An historically corrupt Supreme Court still has his back.
The story of the day is Trump being shot. The story of the year remains the catastrophe that awaits us if he’s elected.
Consider this your reminder.
Always playing to their evangelical base, Trump and some of his supporters have invoked “the grace of God” and “divine intervention” in describing his near brush with death. Trump himself wrote it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
Here’s my problem with that: If it was divine intervention that caused Trump to sustain only a minor injury, was it also divine intervention that caused Corey Comperatore, an innocent spectator, to be killed while trying to protect his family?
Was it divine intervention that led to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick dying after Trump-inspired insurrectionists attacked on Jan. 6 in an attempt to keep him in power after he lost a free and fair election to Joe Biden?
Was it divine intervention that caused mass shootings at elementary schools in Sandy Hook, Conn., and Uvalde, Texas? Where there really that many flesh wounds there?
Some on the Right are blaming Biden and the Democrats for the shooting. They say their negative characterizations of Trump have fanned the flames of violence in our severely divided nation. (Remember we still don’t know the motive for the attack.)
The problem with that is the majority of violence and divisive rhetoric in this country comes from the Right.
The call for “Second Amendment” people to take care of Hillary Clinton; Jan. 6, when Trump reportedly didn’t care that some people there had guns; the gallows for Mike Pence; refusing to call out reinforcements when the invasion started; the mocking of the attack on Paul Pelosi after he was hit on the head with a hammer by an assailant; the wearing of assault weapon pins by some Republican members of Congress; political ads and Christmas cards showing congress members – and in some cases their children – proudly holding assault weapons; telling the Proud Boys to “stand by;” predicting a post-election bloodbath; cheering on violence at rallies.
Don't ever forget, the hatred and divisiveness in this country is mainly the work of the Right, of Trump and his lemmings. We all have to find a way to end it, but it's the Right that's working so hard to keep it going, because their leaders believe it's the only way for them to attain and retain power.
Speaking of ending it, Trump said he’s now calling for unity. He said he’s rewritten his acceptance speech at this week’s Republican National Convention with that in mind. It would be smart politics if he did, portraying himself as a candidate to unite America after what happened Saturday.
Not surprisingly, some pundits have grabbed onto this and are fantasizing about a new, gentler Trump. Where have these people been? It’s not going to happen, at least past the short term.
Of course, Trump is hoping that if he presents a softer, more rational side now (good luck with that) we’ll forget who he really is. It’s just another con. Odds are he’ll return to normal relatively soon, but he could realize if he stays the calmer course, he has a better chance to win. I’m betting on human nature in this one.
The shooting will, of course, inspire Trump’s cult. Will it bring about more violence? We’ll see.
A terrible thing happened in Pennsylvania on Saturday. We must never forget that.
But we must also not let that dissuade us from keeping a terrible man out of the White House.
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