For those of us contemplating the potential disaster of the approaching presidential election, the assassination attempt on Trump’s life was hardly a surprise.
It certainly was no surprise to me. Sure, the timing was anyone’s guess, but it was bound to happen. After all, when a despot is committed to destroying the very future of the institutions that have made our country great—and turning that country into his own money and power factory—normal citizens are bound to feel threatened like they never have before.
This isn’t about Republicans and Democrats; it’s about whether Americans are going to end up having their democracy replaced by a pseudo-Christian thugocracy. Our so-called “inalienable rights” are on the table, and America is very much at a tipping point.
Like so many other Americans, I saw the news footage of that Butler, Pennsylvania rally—the jubilant crowd, the monotonal delivery of Trump’s morally hollow words, and that defining moment, when he felt the sting, heard the report and grabbed his right ear.
For a moment, he was just an old, scared, disheveled has-been—until he realized that it was a providential photo-op and made multiple fist-in-the-air gestures of defiance.
I also can clearly recall hearing a resounding voice echoing from the heavens: “Damn it! Missed again!”
We must remember that Trump has always preached an aggressive, mean and physically combative philosophy. He’s a man who understands and loves raw power, worshiping the world’s worst dictators and justifying their ruthless tactics.
His hubris has had a chilling effect on Americans, particularly the uneducated, disenfranchised and just plain moronic. It has changed the more amicable attitudes that once characterized our nation, and hate has become the central theme for competitive politics.
Remember, Trump is the man who voiced glowing reviews of Montana congressman (now governor) Greg Gianforte, who body-slammed a Guardian reporter, knocking him to the ground and punching him in the face. Gianforte’s actions ended in a criminal conviction and Trump’s response was widely noted: “Anybody that can do a body-slam,” the then-president added, “that’s my kind of guy.”
We must never forget that Trump’s violent nature was expressed in the horrific storming of the Capitol, which left several dead and many more maimed or crippled for life. He sat there, munching on popcorn and Big Macs, while joyfully watching the debacle unfold on TV—gloating on the damage he had caused.
Since then, he’s honored the Capitol insurrection thugs as political prisoners, and promised to pardon them if he’s re-elected.
And minorities? His loathing of Hispanics is no secret. He’s encouraged violence against illegal immigrants on our southern border, actually asking law enforcement, “Can’t we just shoot them in the legs?”
Many honored sages through the centuries have noted the same inevitable pattern—that those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. And in the Bible it is written, "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind."
Trump has been no innocent bystander in the creation of a more violent America. Everything he has done has encouraged hate, confrontation and division. Getting “one’s own medicine” is a natural consequence for a hateful, vengeful, soulless man, and there seemed to be just a hint of Karma as the blood streaked down the ex-president’s face.
But the bullet only grazed Trump’s ear, so now Trump is claiming that he’s been saved by divine providence—that God protected him so that he could continue the sacred work of saving the U.S.A., making it his personal piggy-bank and creating a lasting haven for the corrupt and powerful. If God really loved our country, the outcome would have been very different.
Despite Trump’s tight little following, he is, by far, the most hated man in America. The recent attempt on his life probably won’t be the last, though we all understand that violence is not the answer.
A Trump presidency would open the floodgates to irreparable damage, and what would likely be reminiscent of Central and South American autocratic regimes. Consider: The presidency would be gone; the Supreme Court would be a rubber-stamp facilitator of Trump’s undemocratic policies; the courts would be the laughing stock of the world’s jurists; King Trump would be raiding America’s coffers for the benefit of himself and his cronies; and supposedly free elections would be compromised by the dictator’s manipulation of the votes.
Incomplete information on Trump’s recent visit to death’s door doesn’t keep us from drawing some interesting insights. We aren’t even sure that the shooter had an ideological motive. But, the reality is that those who have no compunction for hurting others may face some poetic justice in their lives, and when blood was dripping down DJT’s cheek at that rally, it really was one of those moments when we were forced to remember the harm that he has done—and the undone harm he’s still capable of doing.
Sadly, Trump and the man who shot him share a similar value. They are two people who have no respect for the democratic process. They both sought to deprive the American people of their voice and vote, choosing, instead, to force an outcome that favored their own, personal, selfish aims. Whether the shooter sought to remove the threat of Trump’s candidacy, or whether Trump refused to accept the results of a legitimate election, both men’s acts are equally destructive to the fundamentals of our democracy.
Most of America is hoping and waiting for the day that Trump can no longer escape justice and, to use the trite expression, that he’ll get what he deserves. We don’t need political violence. A stunning defeat will do the trick.
The author is a retired businessman, novelist, columnist and former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and their adorable and ferocious dog “Poppy.”
