The apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on Saturday “outraged, electrified and emboldened Republicans, who hailed Trump’s clenched fist in the wake of gunshots, while it sobered Democrats who were already nervous about the threat of political violence and their diminished prospects this fall”, reports Politico. Within minutes of the gunshots at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Republican anger at the shooting turned to admiration and jubilation for Trump’s defiant gesture. “President Trump survives this attack — he just won the election,” said Representative Derrick Van Orden (Republican-Wisconsin) soon after the shooting.
To everyone’s relief, Trump is “fine” and received treatment at a medical facility, according to his campaign. But his condition was unknown when Republicans began sharing an Associated Press photograph of Trump— blood splattered on his right cheek — pumping his fist beneath an American flag. In the eyes of his supporters, this was Trump at his most defiant.
‘Epitome of courage’ “President Trump was the epitome of courage under fire,” said Simone Ledeen, a former senior Trump Department of Defence official. “The iconic photos of him being beamed across the world show the true American spirit.” The shooting sent shock waves around the world.
It was the first shooting of a US president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican President Ronald Reagan. A.