US election campaign: Escalation in the US election campaign: Attempted assassination attempt on Trump

Donald Trump is in the middle of a sentence when the first shots are fired. The former US president is standing on a stage at a campaign event in the small town of Butler in the state of Pennsylvania. He touches his right ear and then ducks to the ground behind his desk. Several Secret Service agents immediately rush to him and throw themselves on top of the Republican. Panic breaks out in the audience. People scream and throw themselves to the ground. Another shot. Loud screams ring out again through the audience.

Seconds later, the security guards pull Trump up from behind the lectern. The 78-year-old is bleeding from his right ear, his hair is a mess, his red cap is no longer on his head. “Let me put my shoes on,” Trump says repeatedly. “Sir, we have to get to the cars,” replies one of the bodyguards who are forming a ring around him. The agents want to move with him, but Trump calls out: “Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Then he raises his fist from the ring of security guards, hits it forward three times in the air, and inaudibly forms a word with his lips that supporters later interpret as: “Fight!”

The photo of Trump with blood on his face and his clenched fist in the air is going around the world. The attempted assassination of the former president and current Republican presidential candidate is giving the US election year, which is already one like no other, a new dramatic twist. It is exacerbating tensions in an already deeply divided America and raising fears of a spiral of political violence on a whole new scale.

“The bullet pierced the skin”

After the news of the first shots fired at Trump, events unfolded rapidly. In the end, the suspected shooter was dead, as was a spectator. Two other people in the audience were seriously injured. Trump, on the other hand, was quickly brought to safety and escaped with minor injuries. “I was hit by a bullet that went through the upper part of my right ear,” he wrote after the attack on the Truth Social platform he co-founded. “I knew immediately that something was wrong because I heard a hissing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet piercing the skin.” There was heavy bleeding, “and that’s when I realized what was going on.” His team assures that he is fine.

Hours after the attack on Platform X, Trump’s election campaign also published a video in which the presidential candidate gets out of his private plane in a fresh suit and with a nice hairstyle. His deputy communications director wrote: “Strong and indestructible. He will never stop fighting for America.” The message from Trump’s people: This man is invincible and absolutely nothing can defeat him. And this just two days before the Republicans meet in Milwaukee for their coronation convention to officially nominate Trump as their presidential candidate.

Fear of more chaos and more violence

The attack caused shock in the USA and beyond. Politicians from both parties in the USA, former American presidents, heads of government of other countries – all expressed their horror. They condemned the attack – and some expressed concern about what now lies ahead for the country.

The mood in the USA is already fragile. Parts of society are hostile towards one another, and threats against politicians and other officials are increasing significantly. The recent presidential election in 2020 saw an unprecedented outbreak of violence, as Trump did not admit his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, but instead incited his supporters until they finally violently stormed the Capitol. Several people were killed at the time. There have long been fears that violence and chaos could again occur around this election in November. The assassination attempt against Trump now confirms these fears in a grim way – and could only be the beginning of more.

Arson from the Trump camp

Trump loyalist JD Vance, who is being considered as a possible vice presidential candidate, immediately begins to rant. On Platform X, the Republican Senator blames Biden personally for the attack on Trump. Biden’s election campaign is completely focused on portraying Trump as an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs, he writes. “This rhetoric led directly to the attempted assassination of President Trump.”

What does the attack mean for the election campaign?

Trump is likely to try to systematically use the gun attack for his own ends. He has always portrayed himself as a martyr and as someone his political opponents are trying to get rid of by any means possible. He successfully used the four criminal proceedings against him to mobilize his supporters and collect donations. A few hours after the shooting in Butler, his team sent the first campaign text message with the words: “I will never give up” – and a direct link to the donation website. Like nothing else, this attack against Trump is likely to fuel a now-more-than-ever mentality in his camp. Trump is already ahead of a struggling Biden in the polls. The attack could give the Republican a further boost in voter solidarity.

The Biden campaign, on the other hand, must first regroup. Sharp political attacks against an opponent who has just become the target of an assassination attempt are out of the question. US media report that the Democrat’s campaign team has temporarily suspended all outgoing communication and wants to stop broadcasting campaign ads “as quickly as possible.” It is not easy to find the right tone in the election campaign after an attack of this kind.

And what will become of the discussion about Biden?

Biden actually has completely different worries at the moment. Until Trump was shot, it looked as if the Democrat could give up the race against Trump at any moment due to pressure from his party. The 81-year-old is under heavy criticism for his mental fitness and is dealing with a rebellion within his party. But that has now taken a back seat for the time being in light of the attack on Trump.