Editorial
Gunman took direct aim at the American political process
The madness that lurks the other side of American exceptionalism has potentially ensured Donald Trump wins the presidency in a landslide.
The failed assassination attempt on Trump has created an iconic image of defiance, with footage of the former president bleeding from an apparent bullet that ripped through his right ear and raising his fist after he was shot while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman killed one bystander and critically injured another two before being killed by US authorities.
Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by US Secret Service agents.Credit: AP
The world has seen US Secret Service agents leap to cover their man in other American political assassination attempts, but Trump emerged from the scrum of agents yelling “fight, fight, fight” and fist held high, both a torch to his supporters and an instant reminder that he is no ordinary political animal.
President Joe Biden has spent the past few weeks struggling to retain support and counter fears about his ability to run the Oval Office for another four years, but in a violent moment Trump has swept the president aside.
Amid the blood, mayhem, panic and horror, Trump was able to stay focused on his main game and remember that, in his world, visuals can have huge impact.
Biden said after the Trump shooting that everybody had the right to attend a political rally without fear of bullets, but whatever the gunman’s motives, Americans know once again that no leader is safe.
The weekend’s shooting has created a new identity for Trump: perhaps for the first time in his combative life, he has evoked feelings of sympathy.
He is the third president to have been attacked by a gunman since John F Kennedy was killed in 1963. The world has reacted with horror. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined many leaders in condemning the attack, saying there was no place for violence in the democratic process.
“This was an inexcusable attack on the democratic values that Australians and Americans share and the freedom that we treasure,” he said.
“We must lower the temperature of debate. There is nothing to be served by some of the escalation of rhetoric that we see in some of our political debate, political discourse, in the democratic world. It’s a phenomenon that’s not unique to the United States.” The Herald agrees.
It is America’s tragedy that the gunman has hurt both Biden and Trump. The gunman took direct aim at the American political process. Of course, there is no place for political violence in the democratic process, and while it matters that Trump, an anathema to many, has whipped up a frenzy on both sides in the US, American politics needs to return to civility and respect where ideas, ideology and personalities can compete with one another.
Like the Statue of Liberty, America was once a torch for the world that democracy can create a fairer, more just and happier society. This recourse to violence lessens democracy and threatens that light.
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