Donald Trump was two fingers away from death. The bullet grazed his ear cartilage, causing shock and emotion worldwide.
Such an experience changes anyone and it will change Donald Trump as well, regardless of whether he wins the presidency or not.
He may become a better person, reflecting on the polarization he has caused in American society, or he may become worse, driven by revenge, intensifying his discourse that promotes hatred and violence. Either way, he will not remain the same.
As he was taken off the stage by "Secret Service" agents, after asking them to let him retrieve his shoes, Trump raised his fist in the air and shouted to the crowd, "Fight, Fight!"
Although not audible in the video recording, his repeated urging and the gesture made with his right arm can easily be read on his lips.
The former president was in a state of shock, but showed no signs of being very scared. Most likely, he had not yet realized the danger he had been through.
He was still preoccupied with the electoral campaign and took advantage of the crisis to show his strength.
The US Electoral Campaign at a Crossroads
It is impossible to estimate in which direction the US electoral campaign will go, but it will certainly enter a new phase, resetting everything that has been accumulated so far.
The debate topics will be different, the organization of the conventions of the two major parties will be different, security at political rallies will be enhanced, and the way the public accesses and participates in candidates' events will be modified.
The temptation would be to say that such an event will further help Trump, who is already a strong favorite to return to the White House, especially in the context where Joe Biden has caused a rift in his party after the lamentable performance in the first presidential debate.
But such an event has major implications in any society, and how people will perceive the crisis created remains unknown now, after the first hours following the assassination attempt.
Trump, a Supporter of Firearms
The US has a major issue with firearms, and Donald Trump has been against any legislation limiting access to certain types of weapons.
In a study whose results were published by the "Washington Post" last week, it is shown that judges appointed by Trump are mostly in favor of "repealing restrictions on firearms".
"Judges appointed by Donald Trump vote 50% in favor of rights related to the possession and use of firearms, while the average for other Republican judges is 28%," the study conducted by three university professors who analyzed over 1,000 decisions on firearms states.
"Judges appointed by Donald Trump vote 50% in favor of rights related to the possession and use of firearms, while the average for other Republican judges is 28%," the study conducted by three university professors who analyzed over 1,000 decisions on firearms states.
Violence begets violence. And those who promote it and use it for easy political victories often themselves become victims of the extreme polarization in society.
The Case of Slovakia
Donald Trump's entire political activity is built on confrontation, on creating two camps - us and them - on inciting violent actions, let's remember the episode from January 6, 2021, when his supporters attacked the Capitol.
Furthermore, Trump's political violence was taken to the extreme by his refusal to acknowledge the election outcome and by doing everything in his power not to leave the White House after the defeat in 2020.
The assassination attempt on the former president has put America at a crossroads, and the sad event will have an impact on the entire society, making the election outcome hard to predict at this moment.
On May 15, 2024, three weeks before the European election, Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, the leader of SMER, a nationalist and populist party, was seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
Despite the emotion surrounding the event, the debates in Slovakia regarding political discourse violence and the extremist positions of the SMER leader were not in his favor.
His party lost the European elections to the Progressive Slovakia party, a pro-European political movement.
Although everyone expected an overwhelming victory for the "victim," the exact opposite happened due to people being scared of violence, having second thoughts, and either refusing to vote - Slovakia had the lowest turnout in the entire European Union - or blaming populists for the tensions in the country.
The entire US electoral campaign has been reset after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and despite the momentary emotion, the debates on violence, firearms, populism, and law enforcement will lead the political competition to places few are thinking about now.