Donald Trump: What the international press writes about the assassination

Just on Saturday, Donald Trump was shot at at a campaign event. Two days later, the former president says he wants to campaign for overcoming the political division in the country at the Republican Party Convention. He has abandoned his originally planned and very aggressive speech for the Republican Party Convention, Trump said in an interview with the tabloid newspaper “New York Post”. “I want to try to unite the country,” Trump reportedly said. “But I don’t know if it’s possible. People are very divided.” Trump is not entirely innocent in this, some commentators in international newspapers point out two days after the assassination attempt.

How international media comment on the shooting of Donald Trump

“The Guardian”, Great Britain: “But we must also be careful that extreme actions by a minority are not used to silence legitimate criticism. There are good reasons to believe that Trump is a threat to American democracy. But at the same time, there is no justification for the view that he should be stopped by force. Politicians of all stripes must be more careful than ever in their choice of words. It is also in the hands of the American public to make this grim moment a turning point for the better and not a slide into something even worse.”

“24 Chasa”, Bulgaria: “The young political killer shot Trump, but actually hit Biden. Without meaning to, he accelerated the plans for an early retirement of the current president. (…) If Biden were to renounce the presidency by (the end of the Republican convention on) Wednesday, (his deputy) Kamala Harris would immediately take the presidential oath and, like a giant magnet, attract all the microphones, cameras and reporters with notepads in their hands. (…) Then the shot Trump would fade into the background and play a supporting role in the news. This is what the laws of the director require, and if the Democrats miss this opportunity, they will indeed be confused and helpless.”

“De Standaard”, Belgium: “The increasing political and cultural polarization in this election campaign is undeniable. Research indicates a frightening acceptance of the use of violence – especially given the ubiquity of guns in the United States – to bring Trump to power or keep him out of power. The political class and every citizen who cares about the country’s well-being have a responsibility to overcome this toxicity. There are no extenuating circumstances for the use of weapons. Likewise, any political abuse of this attack must be denounced. The latter, however, already seems to be wishful thinking.”

“One falls while the other rises again”

“Le Figaro”, France: “Accused of all wrongdoings and driven by thoughts of revenge, Donald Trump has always portrayed himself as the victim of a political system and its judges who would persecute the America of the disenfranchised that he has championed. (…) Biden faces him – despite his flattering economic record, the wisdom he embodies in domestic and international politics – and is physically at the end of his strength. The Democrats doubt his ability to serve a second term. After the shock of the weekend, the contrast with Trump is greater than ever! One is decaying while the other is rising again.”

“Information”, Denmark: “After it happened, one has to say that the shooting of Trump was a reprehensible but also an expected catastrophe. Not because it is Trump, but because it is American politics. The USA has a beautiful history of political participation and open campaign events. It is exemplary that presidential candidates fill sports facilities, school buildings, closed theaters and other institutions with life in times of screens and digitalization. Because the USA also has an ugly history of political violence and assassinations of top politicians and presidents. Politicians from both the right and the left spectrum were attacked; people who fought for civil rights and people who fought against civil rights.

It is a miracle that the former president appeared to have escaped relatively unscathed from the shots that struck him in the ear. And whatever you think of him, it is an impressive rejection of the intimidating effect of violence that Trump then insisted on communicating with his voters and speaking out publicly. That he stuck to the beautiful openness of American politics rather than the grotesque and cruel propensity for political violence.”

“de Volkskrant”, Netherlands: “The narrowly failed assassination attempt on US presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is another sign that the most powerful democracy in the Western world has been shaken to its foundations. The question now is how far the shock waves will reach. First of all, it can be said that Trump and America were lucky given the shooter’s intention. If the perpetrator had pointed the barrel of the gun just a hundredth of a degree differently, the consequences would have been unforeseeable. Many Republicans saw this as a divine hand. Thanks to this ‘miracle’, Trump can continue to profile himself as a persecuted martyr who at the same time seems invulnerable – his chances of a new presidency have probably increased considerably as a result.”

“Dziennik”, Poland: “The attack on (former US President Donald) Trump is a message to the world that America is getting weaker. And even if that is not actually the case, countries on the periphery that base their security policy on the USA are already paying the price for it. Because if the world policeman gets weaker, that means: anything goes.

Events like the march on the Capitol in winter 2021, Biden’s outbursts or now the assassination attempt on Trump encourage the axis of authoritarian regimes – China, Russia and their satellite states – to test the weakness of the West. Because the authoritarian rulers think in zero-sum games. Only two factors are important in their calculations – strength and weakness.”

“Hospodarske noviny”, Czech Republic: “US President Joe Biden has condemned the assassination and said he is grateful that Donald Trump is OK. This is a reaction that may be appreciated by some Democratic voters, but certainly not by the incited masses that the Republican Party has turned into under the influence of the populist Trump. (…) His rhetoric will become more severe and he will try to surround himself with the aura of a man who has survived.

The Democrats cannot fight against this in the current situation, they can only show patience. The pressure on President Joe Biden to throw in the towel and let a younger man take the lead will become even greater. US politics – and thus the whole world – is facing a very turbulent summer.”

“La Repubblica”, Italy: “In the sixteen days since the televised debate in Atlanta and now after the assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, the American presidential campaign has become a ruthless mirror of a democracy in jeopardy. The physical fragility of US President Joe Biden and the political violence that struck his challenger Trump in Pennsylvania have created fears and instability that are unsettling Americans. A nation (…) must recognize that every week can make a difference, and we are still less than four months away from the election.

The words of Biden and Donald Trump after the assassination contain important calls for reason, unity and moderation and condemn political violence, but only the coming weeks will show whether they come too late. What makes matters worse is that most citizens no longer see them as legitimate leaders.”

“Sydney Morning Herald”, Australia: “US President Joe Biden faces a delicate balancing act as America still reels from the assassination of his greatest political rival. After weeks of debate during the televised debate, Biden had planned to intensify his attacks on Donald Trump in the coming weeks to prove to Democrats that he has the mental and physical strength to beat the rebellious Republican in the November election.

The strategy was simple: tell voters about the strengths of his first-term record, present a bold vision for the future, and go on the offensive against Trump by portraying him as the greatest threat to democracy in the United States. But Saturday’s assassination of the former president has turned everything on its head. Faced with fears of escalating violence, Biden knows he cannot afford to further stoke the simmering tensions of a country brimming with hostility, anger, and fear.”

“Los Angeles Times”, USA: “This should be a moment of unity — which both President (Joe) Biden and Trump have called for — to condemn the violence and mourn the victims with one voice. (…) Instead, the incident threatens to further divide the deeply polarized nation and incite more violence. In a country where there are more guns than people, this should worry every American. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The example that political leaders set in the coming days will be critical to how the rest of the campaign season will unfold. (…) Trump and the Republican leaders meeting at the convention in Milwaukee this week have a special responsibility not to use the assassination as a means of inciting their base. They must recognize that the United States is a powder keg right now and contain the heated rhetoric before sparks fly. For now, they must recognize that violence, once unleashed, is bipartisan.”