The already chaotic electoral campaign for the US presidential elections has been completely disrupted after the assassination attempt on the Republican Party candidate, former President Donald Trump, on Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack, which resulted in two deaths - including the assailant - two critically injured individuals, and Trump with minor injuries to an ear, almost claimed the ex-president's life.
The assailant, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from Bethel Park - about 70 kilometers south of the attack site - fired with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, similar to those commonly used in mass shootings in the US, from the roof of a building about 120 meters away. As expected, there has been little support in the US for the control of these military-style weapons, whose use and liberalization are particularly advocated by Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The motivations of Crooks are still unknown. He was 20 years old, and authorities have provided limited information about him. Ironically, he was registered in the Census as a member of the Republican Party, but in January, he made a $15 donation to the Progressive Vote Project, a left-wing Democratic organization. His mother is a Democrat, and his father is from the Libertarian Party, a minor party that could be described as ultraliberal and is close to Republicans on economic issues and to Democrats on social matters.
Joe Biden announced an independent investigation on Sunday to determine the motives behind the attack and also to assess possible security failures by the Secret Service, the security organization responsible for Trump's protection, which had not secured the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the Republican candidate's rally, where he will officially be named the party's nominee for the White House this week.
Men Carry the Weapons
Therefore, nothing is clear. Biden, who spoke with Trump by phone on Saturday night, has condemned the attack, stating that "this violence is sickening." Democratic leaders in Congress have joined in the condemnation and calls for unity. Biden's election campaign has been suspended as a sign of solidarity. Likewise, Trump has urged Americans to "come together" after the assassination attempt and has suspended his campaign in a show of solidarity.
However, several prominent supporters and collaborators of the Republican candidate have directly or indirectly accused Biden of inciting the attack. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a frontrunner for the Republican vice-presidential candidacy, stated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "today's events were not isolated," referring to the attack. "The main theme of Biden's campaign is that Trump is a fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric has directly led to the assassination attempt," the message added. House member Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on the same social media platform, "May God have mercy on our enemies because we will not." Georgia Representative Mike Collins accused Biden of "ordering" the assassination attempt shortly after the attack.
Much of the Republican anger has been directed towards the media. When Trump was evacuated from the rally with blood coming from his ear, several attendees shouted at the press, "You're next!" while making obscene gestures. According to reports, some individuals tried to breach the area designated for journalists - which Trump often points to during his rallies while saying, "there's the most dishonest people in America" - although they were stopped by Secret Service agents.
From a campaign perspective, the assassination attempt has fueled speculation about Trump's victory, as he was already leading in the polls. Betting markets have given Trump around a 65% chance of winning in November, although these figures are not predictive. In any case, the images of Trump standing up with blood on his face, raising a defiant fist while seemingly shouting "fight!" with the American flag in the background are truly historic images and a significant electoral boost in a campaign where the Republican, despite leading in the polls, had not managed to pull ahead of Biden beyond the margin of error.
Now, everything could change. Even the limited live sound of the attack portrays Trump, contrary to what his critics say, as brave. When he stands up injured, surrounded by Secret Service agents, the microphones on the stage capture him saying, "let me put on my shoes." There is no complaint, no sign of pain or fear. Yesterday, there were T-shirts for sale on the social media platform TikTok - which Trump, after wanting to ban when he was president, now wants to keep - with Trump raising his fist and the words "2024. Bulletproof" for prices ranging from $12.71 to $36.51. However, the candidate's official website had not been updated.
The assassination attempt is actually the culmination of a growing political tension in the US fueled by the warlike rhetoric in which Donald Trump and many of his followers have engaged. The president often starts his rallies with a recording of the national anthem sung by the Capitol assault perpetrators on January 6, 2021, to prevent the ratification of Joe Biden's electoral victory, whom he has promised to pardon. Trump has called his rivals "vermin," accused immigrants of "poisoning the country's blood," and declared that if he is president, he will "put an end to the Constitution." During the 2016 campaign, Trump suggested that "Second Amendment people" could do something if Hillary Clinton tried to restrict gun rights, which was interpreted as a veiled threat against the then-Democratic candidate.
Democratic Party leaders have never called for violence. However, their base is another matter. In 2017, a left-wing Democrat shot the Republican House leader, Steve Scalise, in the head, who miraculously survived. The looting - unrelated to issues of racial or social justice - in the spring and summer of 2020 was justified as legitimate protests against police violence towards African Americans, even though those involved were not targeting Apple stores, Nike shoe stores, or liquor stores as a first step towards a more equal society.
Other violent acts have not had direct political motivation but have been marked by ideology or race. In 2018, 11 Jews were massacred by a neo-Nazi in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, just 50 kilometers from where Trump was shot. A year later, 23 people were killed in a racist anti-Hispanic attack in El Paso, Texas. The assassination attempt on Trump is just another escalation in this dangerous trend in which the US seems to be sinking deeper every day.