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Two days before the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee, the assassination of former President Donald J. Trump shocked the nation. The image of a blood-stained Trump with his fist raised as Secret Service agents removed him from the stage will be indelibly etched in the American psyche for a long time to come.
In calm and thoughtful comments published on The Truth Society the night of the shooting, President Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement and expressed his condolences to the families of the killed rally participants and others who were seriously injured.
In the chilling account, he wrote: “A bullet penetrated the upper part of my right ear. I immediately knew something was wrong because I heard a whooshing sound and gunfire and immediately felt the bullet Tear the skin.” He had nothing to say, except to say heartily: “God bless America!”
Biden vows Secret Service will provide Trump with “every resource” to ensure “continued security”
On July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump was removed from the stage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet at a rally. (Anna Chanmemaker/Getty Images)
I spoke with President Trump on the phone on Sunday, and he told me that bringing the country together is a big part of the message he wants to send now. He spoke of abandoning his “tough speech on Democrats” and modifying it to fit his new intentions.
The last time we saw such horrific images was in 1981, when a gunman attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Secret Service agent Jerry Parr, who pushed Regan into a car and out of harm’s way before he realized he was injured, once said that being president was dangerous. That includes former presidents. But does it have to be this way?
Police and Secret Service agents dive in to protect President Ronald Reagan (John Hinckley, Jr.) amid a panicked crowd outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. ((Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images))
How do we face fear? A lesson in this comes from our former first lady, Melania Trump. Compared to Mrs. Trump, I can’t help but think of Jackie Kennedy wearing a pink suit stained with blood on the day of Kennedy’s assassination some 60 years ago. Many people, including Lyndon Johnson, encouraged her to change into clean clothes, but she refused. She said, “Show them what they’ve done!”
Document – After the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, American politician and Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908 – 1973) was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes (1896-1985) (left) aboard Air Force One, the presidential plane, in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy (later Onassis) stood to his right. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
This anger and desire for revenge is a natural reaction, but I was struck by the tone Mrs. Trump set that was both deeply personal and healing for the country.
Melania Trump calls for country to ‘come back together’ after nearly assassination
She begins with a moving account of her fears and sorrow. “When I saw the violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized that my life and Barron’s life were on the verge of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers who risked Protect my life at the risk of my life.
“A monster who viewed my husband as a dehumanizing political machine sought to inspire Donald’s passion – his laughter, his intelligence, his love of music and his inspiration. The core aspects of my husband’s life – his human side – Buried under the political machine.
But then Mrs. Trump turned to what we share as humans and peoples, and our shared obligations that transcend political differences.
Former first lady Melania Trump speaks at the National Archives naturalization ceremony. (CSPAN)
“Let us not forget that different opinions, policies and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural and life commitments – until death – are at serious risk. Compared to us humans, political concepts are simple…
“This morning, rise above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple ideas that inspire violence. We all want a world where respect comes first, family comes first, love transcends. We can make that happen again. Each and every one of us. We must demand it back, we must hold on again. Respect is the cornerstone of our relationship.
Trump’s assassination attempt stirs memories of similar attack on Ronald Reagan
I commend Mrs. Trump for her dignity and her sense of public responsibility. Many others from both sides of the political spectrum have expressed similar wishes.
In an editorial Saturday night, the Wall Street Journal raised the possibility that the incident could become a “redemptive political moment” despite the fact that emotions were still running high despite the assassination attempt. The Wall Street Journal, while praising President Trump’s “perseverance,” urged him to use this moment to call for unity.
Democrats need to stop ‘existential threat’ rhetoric about Trump: Former AG Barr
“His chance now is to show he is a man who can overcome the attacks in his life and unite the country,” the Wall Street Journal wrote.
Editors also warned both parties to stop using apocalyptic terms to describe the stakes of the election. “Democracy will not end if one or another candidate is elected. Fascism will not be born if Mr. Trump wins, unless you lack faith in American institutions.”
That sentiment was echoed by former Attorney General Bill Barr, who called on Democrats to stop viewing President Trump as an existential threat to democracy, calling the assertion “very irresponsible.”
It was like a jolt to our public consciousness—a wake-up call that asked, “What are we doing here?”
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There is so much vitriol and demonization in our public debates that we may have reached a tipping point where people are finally willing to take control of it.
President Biden called the attack “disgusting” in a speech Saturday night and said “there will be no place for this type of violence in America.”
He repeated the message Sunday afternoon, stressing that “unity is the most elusive of goals, but nothing is more important now… We will debate, we will disagree, but we will not lose sight Who we are Americans.
After Biden’s comments, President Trump posted a message on The Truth Society that simply said: “Unite America.”
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the shooting a “despicable attack on a peaceful gathering” and stressed that “violence has no place in our politics.”
These calls for unity echo those I hear every week on the Common Ground podcast, when I host public officials from both parties to respectfully debate their differences. But now we are all faced with this question: What does it mean to back up these calls for solidarity with real action – so that they are more than just lip service to the need for solidarity as a post-traumatic response?
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Is there a way to restore civility even as we fiercely argue different positions on issues?
This is a critical time when we can choose to do so. As the Republican National Convention kicks off Monday and we enter convention time, we could all use Melania Trump’s powerful reality check and heed her call to “rise above hate.”
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