Staff writer Salomé Ichay covers the assassination attempt on former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump and the implications of the event on American voters nearing the upcoming elections.
When I saw the headline on July 13th 2024 in regards to former US president Donald Trump narrowly escaping death by a sudden head movement at a rally near Pennsylvania, I thought I had gone back in time. My mind went straight to John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963 in Texas during his presidential campaign or Reagan’s multiple assassination attempts such as in 1981.
Despite portraying itself as the embodiment of democratic values, the United States’ political scene is no stranger to assassination attempts on presidential figures. It is, in fact, a significant part of American political history.
Differences should be resolved in the ballots, not by bullets
Although Trump has survived the shooting which wounded his upper-right ear, the events of July 13th can not be put away so quickly. Regardless of whether one agrees with the Republican candidate or not, this assassination attempt brings to light a more serious issue than simple political disagreements: a threat to the founding democratic values.
Indeed, a democratic structure suggests any candidate can express themselves freely as long as it falls within the boundaries of the law. However, political figures are increasingly becoming targets of violence. Candidates are not as safe as one would believe. This unfortunate event highlighted the limits of the Secret Service, the federal law enforcement agency directly responsible for protecting not only political leaders but also their families and visiting heads of state or government. Differences should be resolved in the ballots, not by bullets.
It is also important to note that this violent act may have been unwillingly encouraged by the debate which took place on June 27th between Trump and Biden. The poor performance on both sides underlined the declining quality of political debates overall.
Both candidates spent more time criticising one another through ad hominem than actually putting forward concrete policy ideas. The insults and name-calling open doors to physical and more severe violence. Preventing political violence such as the incident at the rally is the first step to maintaining a functioning democracy.
This assassination attempt has unleashed a flood of misinformation which presents a crucial threat to American democracy. Ever since the identity of the shooter has been revealed, citizens from both aisles of the political spectrum have begun to spread conspiracy theories.
For instance, the far-right online presence has invented profiles of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fitting their political agenda. More specifically, fake Instagram accounts depicting false biographies of Mr Crooks as either transgender, Jewish or a Black Lives Matter supporter have gained prominence online.
Spreading fake news such as these not only reinforces the stigmatisation of people fitting these profiles but also creates further division amongst said communities in the long term. Conspiracy theories circulated on social media endanger democracy as they influence voting patterns by affecting public opinion that drives voters to the ballots.
Fist in the air: Trump becomes a hero to his supporters
You have probably seen the viral picture of the former president waving his fist in the air whilst facing the crowd as his ear dripped blood and security began taking him away. The iconic picture has generated a wave of admiration and support for the Republican candidate. As such, Trump took advantage of this situation by making radical statements such as “I was saved by God or luck.”. On another occasion, he states:
“I’m supposed to be dead, I’m not supposed to be here.”
Current Republic Candidate and Former President Donald Trump
The former president is dressing a political portrait of himself as a religious miracle, thereby appealing to many of his voters with conservative values. By emphasising that if he “hadn’t turned his head at the right time and in just the right amount”, he would not be present today.
Trump has created this persona of strength whose sole purpose is thanking God for the miracle of life and “saving” America by “bringing the country together”. Many of his supporters began to show up at Republican conventions wearing a bandage on the right ear in order to show empathy for the nominee after the shooting. For many of them, especially the more religious ones, becoming president of the country and “restoring” order is now his destiny and to some extent, his divine mission.
A failure of the Secret Service or an ‘inside job’?
Some citizens from both sides of the political spectrum seem to believe the shooting was orchestrated. Whether it’s the leftist partisans arguing it was a false-flag operation to make the candidate look invincible or the right-leaning voters defending the theory of an “inside job”, the assassination attempt of Trump has certainly made the headlines.
For example, the CEO of Tesla and prominent figure, Elon Musk, has raised the possibility that the failure of the Secret Service may have been planned. Sandra Chase, a Republican representative from Brooklyn, alleges to have seen messages in a group chat claiming that the Secret Service purposely allocated female service members for Trump’s protection.
This theory underlines the problematic presence of misogyny within the Republican party, which will contribute to further fragmentation and division between communities as the idea of women being weaker than men spreads online.
Chase also shared the belief that the FBI would cover up the real crime. Scepticism of institutions such as the FBI or its Secret Service is quite popular among right-wing voters. Many believe that they are biased against the former president. According to a poll conducted by the McCourtney’s Institute for Democracy in November 2022, 51% of Republicans believe FBI agents are biased against Trump whereas only 6% of Democrats believe this.
Regardless of the assassination attempt being an honest lapse of security or an inside job, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23rd after mounting pressure from lawmakers on both sides. She was facing multiple hearings and later on took full responsibility for one of the “most significant operational failures” in decades, vowing to get to fully investigate what transpired that day. She has admitted:
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle
Despite the attention being drawn to the roof before the incident, Cheatle has not confirmed whether Secret Service drones had been used to monitor the area, which ultimately increased tension with members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
She acknowledged that Crooks had been seen by local law enforcement before the shooting with a rangefinder. However, this was not considered enough evidence to characterise him as a threat. Cheatle argued that the Secret Service had mistakenly avoided the “signs” but many believe this was not a mistake. Being initially sceptical of the FBI, combined with the responses given by Kimberley Cheatle, contributed to the spread of right-wing conspiracy theories about the event.
What can we expect now with the U.S. elections?
According to a New York Times poll on July 25th, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are very close. The Republican nominee is ahead by one percentage point at 47%. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Democrats have gained popularity in the polls since Joe Biden stepped down on July 21st.
If he had not withdrawn from the race, the gap between the two candidates may have been even wider considering the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Trump. Ever since the unfortunate incident at the rally on July 13th, political experts have addressed the potential impact on Trump’s electoral chances.
Most argue that while this attempted assassination has generated a call for unity among his supporters, this boost could only be temporary. The powerful image of a bloodied Trump with his fist in the air projecting him as a strong persona may not be enough and the sympathy created by this incident may be short-lived. Now that Biden has been replaced by Harris, it seems that Republicans are facing a more fierce and dynamic adversary.
The assassination attempt on Trump has underlined a longstanding history of increased political violence in the United States. This incident at the rally has quickly made the headlines and a series of conspiracy theories from both sides have emerged across social media.
It has, furthermore, magnified the lack of trust in American institutions felt by some citizens – many have taken upon this opportunity to share their concerns regarding the legitimacy and neutrality of the ongoing FBI-led investigation.
