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Someone Tried to Shoot Trump
Jul. 13th, 2024 11:36 pmToday, someone attempted to kill Donald Trump. Unfortunately, they failed. I've heard conflicting accounts on if they grazed his ear or if he got hit by glass shrapnel, but he got superficial damage and (unfortunately) a good photo of him standing with his fist raised and blood coming down his face. We know nothing about the shooter except that they are dead. One other person is dead, and someone else is apparently in critical condition. Someone else is, I've heard, in custody but we have no details.
Some people are saying that this is staged. I think that's dumb. Real bullets were used. Someone is dead. Does anyone think that Trump would actually trust anyone to shoot in his direction? I could see him faking something using blanks, I guess (though I suspect he thinks he doesn't need to). I get the desire to find out that this was Trump's idea, since it would be politically useful. Certainly I'd like for it to come out that he knowingly shot one of his own rallygoers. It'd make enthusiasm for him drop. But it's just not true.
What this looks like to me is that someone angered by his politics tried to shoot him... because duh, if you think he's going to become a dictator and threaten the lives of people you care about, you'd be tempted to take a shot if you thought you had no other options and he wouldn't just get replaced. Frankly, this moment is ripe for that. Biden's chances of success look dim and he will almost certainly be the nominee. Trump doesn't have a vice presidential candidate picked out, so there's no clear successor and the Republicans would be fighting over who gets to be the nominee. You remember everyone talking about how a contested convention would be bad for the Democrats? Well it wouldn't be great for the Republicans either, and Trump made everything about him and his personal brand to a degree that no one else really has.
I'm not saying that's why the shooter acted. I don't really know. But it is the reason I wasn't very surprised when I heard someone tried to assassinate him.
Far as what happens now? I'm somewhat hopeful that this doesn't move the needle very much in American politics, simply because a lot of people are wishing the shooter's aim was a little to the right right now and politics are already very polarized. It definitely won't be any help--trying to assassinate someone and failing is the worst of both worlds--but everyone fucking hates each other anyway and there's months until the election.
This said it won't take much to make a Democratic win impossible, at least with the poll numbers we've seen so far.
I do think this portends more political violence. The shooter is dead. But he came pretty damn close to accomplishing their goal and quite literally put the scent of blood in the air. If Trump wins--pretty likely, at this point--I think he's going to be even more comfortable with political violence than he was before. Nearly getting your head blown off tends to make people act more harshly.
The consequences of this will not be pleasant to live through.
Some people are saying that this is staged. I think that's dumb. Real bullets were used. Someone is dead. Does anyone think that Trump would actually trust anyone to shoot in his direction? I could see him faking something using blanks, I guess (though I suspect he thinks he doesn't need to). I get the desire to find out that this was Trump's idea, since it would be politically useful. Certainly I'd like for it to come out that he knowingly shot one of his own rallygoers. It'd make enthusiasm for him drop. But it's just not true.
What this looks like to me is that someone angered by his politics tried to shoot him... because duh, if you think he's going to become a dictator and threaten the lives of people you care about, you'd be tempted to take a shot if you thought you had no other options and he wouldn't just get replaced. Frankly, this moment is ripe for that. Biden's chances of success look dim and he will almost certainly be the nominee. Trump doesn't have a vice presidential candidate picked out, so there's no clear successor and the Republicans would be fighting over who gets to be the nominee. You remember everyone talking about how a contested convention would be bad for the Democrats? Well it wouldn't be great for the Republicans either, and Trump made everything about him and his personal brand to a degree that no one else really has.
I'm not saying that's why the shooter acted. I don't really know. But it is the reason I wasn't very surprised when I heard someone tried to assassinate him.
Far as what happens now? I'm somewhat hopeful that this doesn't move the needle very much in American politics, simply because a lot of people are wishing the shooter's aim was a little to the right right now and politics are already very polarized. It definitely won't be any help--trying to assassinate someone and failing is the worst of both worlds--but everyone fucking hates each other anyway and there's months until the election.
This said it won't take much to make a Democratic win impossible, at least with the poll numbers we've seen so far.
I do think this portends more political violence. The shooter is dead. But he came pretty damn close to accomplishing their goal and quite literally put the scent of blood in the air. If Trump wins--pretty likely, at this point--I think he's going to be even more comfortable with political violence than he was before. Nearly getting your head blown off tends to make people act more harshly.
The consequences of this will not be pleasant to live through.
