July 14, 2024 - 9:00am

In a nation once capable of rallying around its leaders in times of crisis, Saturday’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump has instead laid bare the depths of America’s political divide. The incident, which left the former president with a bullet-grazed ear, has become the latest flashpoint in the country’s ongoing culture war — a far cry from the days when such grave events inspired bipartisan solidarity.

Trump, displaying his characteristic improvisatory bravado, pumped his fist as he was escorted from the stage during a campaign rally just north of the key Rust Belt city of Pittsburgh. He later took to Truth Social to describe the ordeal in vivid detail: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

The attempted assassination has predictably ignited a firestorm of polarised reactions online. Many liberals rushed to label it a hoax or an overblown event, while other Right-wing voices claimed the now-dead shooter was a patsy, referencing Tucker Carlson’s earlier predictions of political assassinations. The former Fox News host had claimed in September 2023 that the United States was “speeding towards” Trump’s assassination; perhaps to hammer home the point, he shared a photo of a defiant Trump immediately after the event.

X and Tesla kingpin Elon Musk seized the moment to express support for Trump — something he refrained from doing in 2020. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk tweeted, garnering millions of views within hours. He then doubled down by speculating that the Secret Service was guilty of “extreme incompetence or it was deliberate”.

On the other side, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, President Joe Biden promised to suspend all Trump campaign ads for the time being. Biden’s campaign released a statement saying: “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.” The President also announced plans to call Trump personally to check on his wellbeing.

The stark contrast between today’s polarised responses and the national consensus following the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981 highlights the deep divisions in contemporary America. Yet, in different ways, Biden and Trump demonstrated throwback resolve in their responses, showcasing a necessary degree of resilience among the nation’s leadership in the midst of such up-to-the-minute, instant-reaction turmoil.

Not everyone struck a conciliatory tone, however. J.D. Vance, a former Trump rival turned possible VP candidate, blamed the incident on Biden’s rhetoric: “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

As the dust settles on this shocking event, the traditional playbook followed after the shooting of Reagan calls for unity and tough-on-crime rhetoric. But in our fractured political landscape, that seems increasingly unlikely. Instead, we’re poised for more division, with a side of opportunistic campaigning.

Trump’s team is no doubt already devising campaign marketing materials to showcase his admirable resilience. Meanwhile, Biden is likely to seize this moment to push for stricter gun control measures, further inflaming Right-wing voters already suspicious of his motives.

In the end, Trump’s bleeding ear serves as a metaphor for the wounded, raw state of American politics. As the country grapples with this near-tragedy, it’s clear that the days of coming together in the face of violence are long gone. What’s left in its place is a bleak political landscape where even an assassination attempt becomes just another weapon in the endless partisan battle. God bless America, indeed.


Oliver Bateman is a historian and journalist based in Pittsburgh. He blogs, vlogs, and podcasts at his Substack, Oliver Bateman Does the Work

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