Butler

Will the FBI shed light on the Trump shooting?

Kash Patel and Dan Bongino have this week found out the painful way that running the Federal Bureau of Investigation is a lot harder than podcasting. Having spent years on endless shows suggesting that the "Epstein Files" could reveal the Deep State’s darkest secrets, the now Director and Deputy Director of the FBI find themselves insisting that, contrary to what they may have said, Jeffrey Epstein did, in fact, kill himself; that he did not have a list of blackmailable clients; and that he sexually abused more than 1,000 girls pretty much all by himself.Nobody believes that, of course, and Donald Trump’s angry reaction on Tuesday to a reporter who dared to ask about the most famous sex offender of all time, has done nothing to put the conspiracy theories to rest.

Crooks

A more reflective Trump will win in November

Dr. Johnson once remarked that the prospect of hanging in a fortnight concentrates the mind. So, apparently, does being shot.    At least, that’s part of what I took away from Donald Trump’s long and sober acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last night.   Many commentators have observed that there was a kinder, gentler Trump on view at the convention last night. Perhaps.   Certainly, the detailed account he gave of his experience being shot last week at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was edged with a solemness and humility that have not been prominent parts of Trump’s rhetorical armory. I hope readers will appreciate that little exercise in litotes.

donald trump
donald trump

Trump calls for unity in somber RNC speech

Milwaukee, Wisconsin President Donald Trump arrived at Thursday night’s convention to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for president but, more importantly, to inspire a nation with hope. The president started his much anticipated speech by retelling the events of the attempt on his life at Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. “I’ll tell you what happened, and you’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s too painful to tell,” Trump told the crowd. As he walked through the events that day, attendees cried and laughed with the president — who retained his sense of humor after the senseless attack. He praised the crowd in Pennsylvania for their courage and calm amid the bullets, saying their refusal to stampede “saved many lives.

The political impact of the Trump assassination attempt 

The conventional wisdom is that the race for the presidency fundamentally changed with the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. That’s wrong. The failed attempt to kill Donald Trump didn’t change trends in this election; it reinforced them.   The shooting reinforced public images about four distinct issues.  Trump’s strength and determination;  Biden’s weakness, politically, physically and cognitively;  Trump’s lead in the battleground states he needs to win reelection; and  The failure of basic governmental institutions, such as the Secret Service, to do their job  The enduring image of the Saturday shooting is the photo of the former president as he leaves the stage.

trump assassination attempt

Biden’s response to the Trump assassination attempt rings hollow

The iconic images are already dominating the airwaves. Trump, blood running down his face from a bullet that hit his right ear, urges the Secret Service detail to wait as they try to usher him off the stage at his rally in Pennsylvania. He raises a fist to the crowd and tells them, “Fight. Fight. Fight.” Despite likely being a different head-tilt or a gust of wind away from losing his life, the former president’s instinct was to reassure his supporters that he was OK and that he was going to stay in the fight. Compare this reaction to the one displayed by our current president, Joe Biden. It took President Biden more than an hour and a half to release a short statement about the incident: I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.

biden response trump assassination attempt