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It was one month ago, in the tiny town of Butler, Pa., that a would-be assassin’s bullet came less than an inch away from changing not just the 2024 presidential election, but the course of American history.
The shocking shooting that left husband and father Corey Comperatore dead, and two more wounded remains a sharp and piercing image in the minds of many voters.
It feels as though decades of politics have taken place in these past 30 days, we have emerged in a very different situation, and if prelude is precursor the next 84 days shall not want for more surprises.
When historians look back at this improbable election cycle, they will need, along with a stiff drink, to consider if it was in fact the assassination attempt, not the debate disaster that finally forced Biden out.
When Trump took the stage that day, Joe Biden was still defiantly insisting he was the Democrat’s nominee, but once, by the grace of God, the bullet merely grazed the ear of the former president, that was all set to change.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is moved from the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
At a restaurant in Toledo, I watched along with a small crowd as Trump stood, blood on his face, fist in the air, and chanted “Fight, fight, fight.” Since then, I have seen the image emblazoned on T-shirts all across the country. At the time, one of the guys watching said, “That’s it, it’s over.”
But not so fast.
When historians look back at this improbable election cycle, they will need, along with a stiff drink, to consider if it was in fact the assassination attempt, not the debate disaster that finally forced Biden out.
Either way, just 8 days after Trump was shot, and following a successful Republican National Convention, the Democrats pulled the greatest bait and switch in the history of American politics, and suddenly, Trump was running against Vice President Kamala Harris.
For the liberal media it was Christmas morning, and their stockings were full of Harris puff pieces and plenty of excuses to forget all about the shooting in Butler.
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As the assassination attempt faded into the media’s rearview mirror, the whole tone of the Democrats changed from charges that Trump is Hitler, which may well have contributed to the attempted murder, to their current “campaign of joy.”
But this past weekend, when I talked to voters about the near miss, there was still a sense of wonder about it, the slight anxiety in the eyes as they said, as so many do, “we were that close to a total crisis.”
While dodging a bullet is always a good thing, eventually you have to find and eliminate the source of the shooting, and I don’t mean Thomas Matthew Crooks, of whom we still know almost nothing, I mean a political environment of hatred and fear.
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In a nation where so many not only disagree with, but dislike each other, the specter of political violence haunts the election, especially as we look with a cautious eye towards next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The next three months will feature a steady, staccato stream of daily events that move the polling needles. Gaffes, scandals, new policies, debates, the usual circus in town, and yet, the assassination attempt still hangs above it all.
July 13, 2024 was a “where were you” kind of moment, like the killing of JFK or the moon landing, and while things like Tim Walz’s stolen valor or JD Vance’s cat lady comments may fade quickly from the public mind, the shooting of Trump will not.
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The nation changed one month ago, an innocence was lost, and everyone can feel it. The stakes of this election are no longer just about which side will win and get to set policies, but also whether we can peacefully coexist at all.
But one thing is certain, for millions of Americans stepping into ballot boxes in November, one image from this campaign season will outshine all others, and when they recall it they will be reminded of Trump’s appeal to fight, fight, fight.