After segregationist George Wallace’s 1972 presidential campaign was cut down by Arthur Bremer’s four bullets, our own Shirley Chisholm, who was running the first presidential campaign by a woman, visited her rival at his bedside.
“What are your people going to say?” she recalled him asking her as Blacks in her community “crucified” her (her word). “I said, ‘I know what they’re going to say. But I wouldn’t want what happened to you to happen to anyone.’ He cried and cried and cried.”
It was a moving moment in itself, and more so in the context of American history, whose occasional redemptions sometimes counterpoint the hate. It also helped seal Wallace’s move away from segregation. (In his last run for office in 1982, he won 90 percent of the Black vote.)
Any kind of encounter like that between our current presidential contenders–even if, fortunately, Trump is not in a hospital bed–seems beyond reach. The campaigns, content with the obligatory statements punched out by third-rung speech-writers, are busy figuring out how to leverage the moment to maximum advantage.
It’s been fascinating–frightening, really–to see how quickly the response to Saturday’s Trump assassination attempt followed familiar scripts that turn anything and everything, whether it’s a verbal miscue by Biden or a gun-terrorism act against Trump, into just another occasion for bellicose marketing. Any measured response, any thought to carving out a moment’s political cool-down that the incident might call for and that this country ought to crave, any glance toward the kind of historical gesture Chisholm understood, is foreign to our scorched-earth elections.
Anything can and will be used to vilify and deify. Medieval pilgrims traded gold for relics such as the alleged thumb of John the Baptist or vials of the alleged blood of Christ from his crucifixion. This will be the first presidential race in history when blood will feature front and center in the Trump campaign’s most iconic image, the candidate bloodied but fist-pumping as an Iwo Jima-flag-like clutch of brawn props him up. Trump is the flag. Trump is America. Welcome to assassination merch.
I am writing this less than 24 hours after the shooting in Butler, Pa. Trump had the good sense to say that “nothing is known at this time about the shooter,” as so much will be known soon. But the two sides have already staked their ground as if they knew as much about this as we do about Hinkley or Moore or Bremer or Sirhan or Oswald or Zangara or Schrank or… (So many names.)
J.D. Vance figured he’d use the occasion to make a final pitch for the vice presidency, using fascist rhetoric to blame Biden for the shooting and cleverly accusing Biden of using fascist rhetoric to disarm Vance’s own. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, a Republican who was himself wounded in an act of gun terrorism, piled on, as did of course Marjorie Taylor Greene and her amen corner on Fox and the rest of the reactionary newspeak.
Not that Democrats would have done anything different had, say, Biden or Obama been shot. They’re going one better, bristling with conspiracies that would give Don DeLillo a run for his Libra. How could the shooter have made it to that roof in broad daylight, how could no snipers have picked out his AR-15, wasn’t the Secret Service warned of the intrusion, and so on, the absurd implication being that the whole thing was staged.
What if Trump maybe had not moved just so, like when Charles de Gaulle avoided an assassin’s bullet in one of the more than two dozen attempts on his life, just enough to avoid the lethal blow? What if the shooter had not “shot like a pig” (as de Gaulle put it about some of his own would-be assassins)? Would that have been staged, too? Is the rally victim killed by a bullet part of the staging?
Let’s not go down that route, especially since it’s superfluous anyway. The shooting doesn’t have to have been staged for the staging of the response to the shooting to have been so flawlessly, so theatrically brilliant. Ever the showman, Trump had the presence of mind to milk its every scarlet drop, giving Doug Mills of The New York Times his almost guaranteed shot at a Pulitzer with that Joe Rosenthal-like photo. Reichstag fires don’t come around like this every day. Trump seized his.
Let’s also not shortchange the cooler statements from both sides, from Melania Trump to Mitch McConnell to Biden to Gabby Giffords–yet another public victim of gun terrorism–and many others. But you know well that those aren’t the voices that the propagandists, the vocal vigilantes, the campaign mercenaries and their media accomplices are running with. Our politics’ temperature is not set by C-Span.
On the eve of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee–where, as a meaningless coincidence soon to be sanctified by the conventioneers and Trump himself, Teddy Roosevelt brushed off the bullet in his chest and kept talking outside the Gilpatrick Hotel, not far from the house of Bremer, Wallace’s would-be assassin–the shooting, the imagery and the merchandise it enables are diamond currency in electoral math, now verging on 350 or thereabout for Trump. He can landslide his way to what he’ll call a mandate, his autocracy hallowed in his own blood while Biden continues his hobble of self-destruction.
Coincidentally this weekend I was reading about that relatively new “sport” called “Power Slap,” where competitors stand face to face and slap the hell out of each other until only one of them is left standing. It emerged out of the gladiatorial gutter of the Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, an extremely popular and profitable cash cow in a country where armchair sadism for millions substitutes for seeking the more meaningful in life.
“Power Slap” is not a sport. There’s no skill involved, no athleticism, no thought, certainly no intelligence, no strategy, just brute, beastly force delighting crowds that love violence for its own sake. It pretty much sums up the state of American politics and elections these days. We have a few more slaps ahead in the presidential contest, though the outcome is foretold. The contenders are not suffering the worst blows as much as our democracy. But these t-shirts and pins will be priceless.
Pierre Tristam is the editor of FlaglerLive. A version of this piece airs on WNZF.
BillC says
Here comes the blame game. The shooter was a registered Republican.
Jake from state farm says
I believe the author of this article who is clearly not a Repub, recommended others to register as Repubs to counter some shenanigans being done by some local right extremists. So that makes your assumption that is registered party affiliation had anything to do with it just as much his donation to a Dem PAC does.
BillC says
Just called Allegheny County Office of Elections. Thomas Crooks, the shooter, has been continuously registered as a Republican since Sept. of 2021, when he first registered. No switching back and forth shenanigans. He also donated $15 to a Dem PAC back in 2021. It is reported by neighbors that there were multiple Trump signs on the lawn where he lived. It appears this was not a political act, just a sadly deranged person acting out, perhaps seeking attention.
Mimi says
Crooks, a registered republican shot at a registered republican Crook.
Jason says
There is quite literally an article on this very “news” site that instructs people how to switch their party affiliation to Republican just to vote in the coming primary….
Crystal Lang says
Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe this 20 year old changed his affiliation from Dem to Rep so people think that someone from his party tried to kill him!!!!! NOT!!!!!!
Mimi says
@Crystal- lame try, he’s 20, his only registration on record is republican.
Jim says
I hate that Donald Trump was shot. I hate that a bystander died at the scene. I hate that a 20-year old kid decided killing a presidential candidate was a good idea and died for that action.
That said, just a much, I hate that immediately after the shooting, many “Republicans” came out and accused Biden of being responsible for it. How despicable have our politicians become that there is absolutely no effort to bring the country together and recognize that we all need to live together and get along (at least a little) to make this country work.
I do not like Donald Trump. I think he is anti-democratic and only out for himself. He’s proven this many times. Loyalty is a one-way street for him. Forty of forty-four cabinet and other high level officials in his first administration have come out against him for a second term. In normal times, this would be unheard of and Trump would fade into the woodwork. But for reasons I just do not understand, his followers remain loyal no matter what laws he breaks, what moral and ethical norms he tramples, no matter how terribly he treats people and, maybe most importantly, how clearly he has shown he has no regard for freedom as we’ve come to know it the past 250 years.
It’s terrible that this event occurred but if you think for one minute that Donald Trump has not brought us to this level of hate, distrust and “me first” mentality, you just have not been paying attention.
I’ll take a Joe Biden who may be slipping to a Donald Trump who has shown there is no bottom to the sewage pit in which he dwells.
Jason says
Was it Trump or Ms Waters that told people on national television to harass Trump cabinet members in public and makes their lives hell?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/25/politics/maxine-waters-trump-officials/index.html
Accuse the other of that you are guilty.” — Joseph Goebbels
BillC says
“I am your retribution. ” Donald Trump told supporters at a rally to “knock the crap out of” hecklers. Trump said he would even pay for any legal fees that supporters incurred. Now Trump is on the road to Damascus? Hope so. The point is the shooter wasn’t from the “radical left”, just a deranged lone wolf with access to an AK47 style weapon.
Jim says
And you think one equates with the other? Really? I’m not defending Waters but don’t gaslight me with this kind of BS.
Trump is a one-of-a-kind politician who will do anything to help himself and those of you who think he’s going to “Make America Great Again…Again” are as delusional as he is.
say now says
“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
― Isaac Asimov, Foundation
KES says
Wow! No hate here.
Jim says
You one of those “love everybody” Republicans that are as easy to find as the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Claus??
FlaPharmTech says
Jim, thank you for putting into words the most reasonable, cogent observation of our current political mess.
Wallingford says
While I hate to see anyone get shot, maybe this will incentivize the Republicans to finally put through some meaningful legislation regarding gun control.
PC Dave says
I gotta disagree with your comment that Trump brought this on. As Jason said, Ms Waters was publicly calling for people to harass Trump’s cabinet members. Some celebrities get shamed and ostracized for supporting Trump on social media. And let’s not forget Biden’s “Speech at the gates of hell” when he said Trump and the MAGA republicans are a threat to the country. Sorry, but the Democrats have done much more to whip up hate and vitriol against Trump than anybody else.
That being said, I’m not gonna point the finger at Biden for 1 unhinged person who did a horrible thing to 4 people and paid the ultimate price.
Shark says
You call it hate and vitriol, Most sane people call it the truth !!!
Hate speech says
Are you kidding? For years the democratic party has done everything to President Trump they could to create hatred and its led to this. Why don’t the democrats and some republicans realize that hate speech hurts America.
Bobby says
Wonder if Trump now will stop promoting violence?
Sherry says
@ Jim. . . astoundingly excellent comment! Thank You!. . . and Ditto! Do you mind if I quote you?
Jim says
Sure, but as you can see from the comments above, unless you’re talking to someone who shares your viewpoint, those on the other side are just not listening!
Sherry says
Hi Jim,
As a member of Fine Arts America, I started an art contest called “Get Political Today”. . . on that contest there is a discussion that began a few days ago and today includes the assassination attempt. I posted your comment there. Here is a link, but I’m not sure FL will post it, for security sake. In any case, you may be interested to hear what artists are saying and of course check out the amazing political art images.
https://fineartamerica.com/contests/get-political-today.html?tab=discussions
NJ says
The Editor’s Article just PROVED that he knows NOTHING about being a Real American but He is from a Middle Eastern Nation that has it’s own history of values that are Very Different than America’s Values! Look at the Giant Mistake Bush made with Invasion of Iraq to “teach them” American Values! American History 101—Read & Study it, then STOP your “BULLSHIT ANTI-AMERICAN” articles from your “experts” in foreign nations!
Sherry says
This from Rachel Kleinfield an “Expert” on Political Violence and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace during an interview today on Politico Magazine:
When responding to political violence are certain voices more effective than others? You wrote in your 2022 piece that Trump has helped super-charge the current atmosphere. Would a statement from him on political violence reach his followers more deeply?
People listen to their leaders, and so whoever has a following has a real responsibility to speak to that following. Absolutely, Trump should be speaking to his followers as Biden and Obama and Clinton have spoken to theirs.
Are you hopeful that this could be a turning point for the nation?
I hope that Americans will look in the mirror and not like what they see and start to change.
Watcher says
This sums it up:
Judy B says
Didn’t Biden say in a speech on Monday “so we are done talking debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye”! I think it’s time for both sides to bring it down a notch or two! Mr. Pierre Tristam, you should be ashamed of posting this article less than 24 hours after an attempt on a past (and possibly our future) president’s life!!!! Also have some sympathy for the family who lost their husband/son/father and the two who are recovering from their wounds! We should all wait until the FBI does a thorough investigation before we all start a “blame game”!
starryid says
This article proves once again that Mr. Pierre Tristam has no shame!
Herb says
Yes ma’am, he did. Well stated.
Pogo says
@From the horse’s ass to God’s ear
Marlee says
Is anyone here going to make a comment about guns?
Why isn’t anyone (other than Parkland students) talking about gun control?
I have NOT heard anything…have you?
Bobby says
Wonder if the Cult GOP party will now ban AR15’s I kind of doubt it.
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
Hahaha oh boy, looks like America is gonna turn to full blown fascism in the fall. Great job Dems, you have a literal Weekend at Bernie’s candidate and decades of learned powerlessness. Good job. Can’t wait to see the platitudes in the fall.
dave says
So much hate on both sides. Violence abounds throughout this country each and every day, with no end in sight. What a freaking mess this country is in.
Mod says
Law of attraction
You get what you focus on
Trump is all about hate and violence
No surprise it caught up with him
We can only hope that this will humble him a bit
And now know what everyone else in his hateful path has had to deal with,
Karma’s a bitch but very real
The ear is significant ….maybe he will hear what he says going forward and think twice
Samuel says
Nothing can humble him, he will never change. And something keeps telling me it was all staged even at the expense of others losing their lives. He has promoted hate and violence for years. You get what you sow.
Judy B says
I supposed the NT Times reporter who captured the photo of the bullet whizzing by right after hitting Trumps ear was in on your conspiracy theory! NOONE who cares about the man or a person with any decency would do such a thing. The fact that you would even state such a thing (Especially after people just lost their lives) tells us all where your decency lies!
Local says
CNN?
Just a thought says
One of the more ridiculous things to come out of the shooting is the over-the-top comments on social media. My favorite is from a Trump supporter who said “Trump is eating bullets for our country.” Trump was nicked in the ear by a bullet. I’m not downplaying what happened and understand had he moved one inch in the wrong direction he would have been killed. But we need to be realistic. Trump was a draft dodger and a cheat, yet his supporters do not care. Now let’s look at the democrats. Biden is well beyond capable of leading this country and most of his supporter are hoping he steps down. You will never hear that from Trump supporters. And they call us sheep.
Laurel says
I’m kinda done. When we have heard Trump’s hate speech (tune into any of his rallies and listen for yourselves, and stop denying your own eyes and ears) and the followers and wannabes predictably state it’s President Biden’s fault for violence, then I know that normal thought processing has flown the coop.
I’m so disappointed, and tired, of the childish, dangerous talk. The vocal Americans and the media present like sixth graders who’s ball was stolen. My hope is that the majority of Americans still have ahold of their senses.
Meanwhile, we’re shutting off the TV noise, as they look like crabs climbing over each other to the top of the bucket. Grab those all important ratings!
Enjoy your entertainment at the expense of your country. Enjoy your newspeak. Enjoy your “boisterous ass.” Enjoy your lack of facts. Enjoy your spins. Enjoy your Heritage Foundation daddies. Good luck.
Sherry says
While it is tragic that a Presidential candidate has had an assassination attempt, his life is no more precious than those of the school children of Mexican descent who were gunned down while cowardly cops did nothing, in Uvalde. How ironic it is that the very party that calls for a proliferation of guns (including automatic weapons of mass destruction) across our country has had their candidate shot?
RitaMae says
I am so sick of all the Trump Trump Trump comments here. Let’s not forget that others at that rally lost a loved one or are recuperating in a hospital. I have not seen any words of sympathey for them. Think about the wife and daughter going to the rally with the father and husband to come home without him. Now they have a funeral to coordinate…how sad is that. I am not a Trump fan, but I would not wish this on anyone ever. So let’s put aside all the finger pointing and accusations. Take time to contemplate on the horrible situation those people are in. My heart breaks for the family of the deceased man as well as for the families of the people in the hospital. They all thought they were going to a Trump rally and would talk about it on the way home…NOT!
Paul says
We live on different planets in this country. Many of you are clueless, and making it very easy to destroy America. Keep up the good work.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Poor Pierre, misguided by hate for TRUMP! Unfortunatly America knows better. TRUMP,S pick for VP, Sen Vance has thrown a monkey whench in Biden,s re installation! Just as TRUMP showed on the debate stage, & his courage while dodging bullets! TRUMP showed more balls than any democrat since JFK! 1st they lied about TRUMP, then they cheated to convict TRUMP….Only to find out later, cheaters never win, & TRUMP,S conviction is bogus! Cant you just wait for Kakeling Kamala to show her ignorance & stupitity on the debate stage! Ya,ll think Biden had a bad night….This is will be must see TV! As the democrates lie to the American people, & cover up Biden,s health, TRUMP stand tall to fight for the American people. This Biden cover up is worse than Watergate! Look at all the traitors who told you Biden was sharp as a tac! How they cant keep up with him…. Total Bullshit! Do they think we don’t have eyes or ears? This election will be about TRUTH & FREEDOM, not about lies, cover ups, & failed policies. This will be the biggest lost the democrats will suffer in recorded history, & TRUMP will go on to be one of the greatest presidents in history!
Jackson says
This is America. Gun violence is as pure as apple pie here. So, let’s move on—or should I say ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Isn’t that what the Republicans like to say after elementary kids’ bodies get slaughtered by AR-15s? Oh, wait a minute, they also like to say ‘that’s the price you pay for freedom.’ That’s it. Just tell Trump, and the other three victims, ‘that’s the price you pay for freedom.’ That’s what we say to everyone else who has been a victim of gun violence. Let’s move on, people! Trump ain’t dead.”
Endless dark money says
Lol the party that propagates hate found out words do mean something.
Sherry says
This from Bijan Pirnia from Fine Arts America:
First, I would NEVER condone gratuitous violence against anybody, anywhere, at any time; but the fact remains that when Donald Trump was shot in the ear, he got a taste of his own bitter medicine. Here’s why: on several occasions, he not only condoned violence, he actually celebrated and justified it in so many words. Here’s one example : It was only a few years ago that a lunatic, probably a Neo-Nazi, white nationalist, drove his car into a crowd of peaceful protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. He killed one person and injured several others. Did Trump condemned that incident? Hell no. In fact, he did the exact opposite. He said, “There were fine people on both sides.” Those are his own words, not mine. In other words, as far as Trump is concerned, if you drive you car into a crowd and murder people, you’re a “FINE” person. That’s the only logical conclusion of what his said.
Another example that we’re all familiar with is The January 6th bloody insurrection. Five people, including a police officer, were killed. Did Trump condemn that atrocity? Hell no. In fact, he did just the opposite. He called vicious protesters “patriots and peaceful protesters.” When several of them were convicted in the court of law, he called them hostages and said that he was going to pardon them. On January the 6th when protests were going on, a number of people around Trump, including his own family, begged him to do something to stop it. He did nothing. He just sat on his fat, lazy ass and watched the whole incident on TV and probably took pleasure that the protesters were working for him. He did not give a shit about the loss of life and property.
Here’s a third example : Vladimir Putin is an international terrorist and a war criminal. He and his thugs are responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent Ukrainians civilians, including many children and infants. Putin started the bloodiest conflict in Europe since The Second World War. What did Trump say when Putin started his murderous rampage in Ukraine? He called it “genius.” Again, that’s his own word, not mine. Even to this day, Trump has not said one negative word about Putin and his atrocities in Ukraine. In fact, Trump said if he’s elected president again he would let Putin “do whatever the hell he wants in Ukraine.” Those are his own words, not mine. Here’s another example : Years ago, in one of his campaign rallies, Trump said, “If we have nuclear bombs, why don’t we use them?” Anyway, those are just a few examples. There are more. You get the idea.
I’m not a man of faith; but there’s a lot of profound, timeless, universal spiritual wisdom in The Bible that I appreciate. One of them is a statement ascribed to Jesus Christ. He was quoted as saying, “THOSE WHO LIVE BY THE SWORD, WILL DIE BY THE SWORD.” My interpretation of that universal truth is that first, in this case, sword is mostly a metaphorical or symbolic word. It’s not just a metal object with sharp edges. It refers to gratuitous violence in general. When you advocate violence or do not condemn violence, chances are you will be the victim of it yourself someday. That’s where Trump comes in. In today’s world, we echo Jesus’s statement when we say, “WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND.” We also say, “YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.” Whatever you put out into the world is likely to come back to you. When you treat everybody with kindness and decency, you’re likely to be treated the same way. When you treat everybody like shit, you’re likely to be treated the same way also. Mahatma Gandhi echoed the same universal truth when he said, “YOU NEED THE BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.” Do you want to see a loving world? Be a loving person. Do you want to see a generous world? Be a generous person, and so on. The world can be thought of as a mirror that reflects your words and actions back to yourself.
I don’t know how much longer we have to suffer before we come to see the obvious, which is we’re all one. We’re all connected. We’re all unique manifestations of the same ineffable cosmic consciousness or God or whatever you choose to call it. We all desperately need one another. We find joy, strength, beauty, wonder, and meaning in togetherness. When we lose sight of that, the result is the hell-on-Earth we have created in this U.S. of A.
According to CDC, we have an opioid-related death every 8 minutes or so. Also according to CDC, we have a suicide every 14 minutes or so. According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving,) we have a drunk driving fatality every 53 minutes. According to The FBI, we have a homicide every 40 to 45 minutes. Our mass shootings are the biggest tragedy of all. In 2023, we had 656 mass shootings. That comes to one mass shooting every 24 hours or a little less. I haven’t even mentioned corrupt politicians, rape, sexual assault, armed robbery, auto theft, and on and on. This is the hell-on-Earth we have created because we have lost sight of what really matters in life.
Washington is entirely paralyzed with partisan politics and juvenile bickering. The gap between the super rich and the rest of us is at all time high. They’re getting richer and richer and the rest of us are getting the shaft. We’re polarized and paralyzed with fear more than ever before in the nation’s history. Our educational system is in a free-fall practically. Our trust in institutions is at all time low. Our fiscal irresponsibility is out of control. Our infrastructure is crumbling.
I could go on ‘n on; but into this horrifying social mess walks in Donald Trump, a.k.a. pathological liar, deceiver, con artist buffoon, malignant narcissist, and a rabble-rousing demagogue. He promises paradise of sorts. He says, “Only I can fix it.” He also says he wants to be a dictator on day one of his presidency; and at least half of America is so fuckin’ stupid that it falls for his bullshit. We’re at such a low point in our history that we’re worshiping at the altar of an asshole whose moral values are completely in the toilet. I never thought America could possibly stoop so low. In my conversations with Trump fanatics if there’s one thing I hear often is “Trump is God’s gift to America.” My response is “Of course he is. God gave us Trump to remind us that our moral values as a nation are totally in the toilet.”
The dude says
MAGA laughed and made shit up when Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer.
MAGA insisted that there “were very fine people” marching in Charlottesville chanting “ YOU WILL NOT REPLACE US”.
MAGA exhorted the proud boys to “stand down and stand by”.
MAGA rioted on Jan 6 in an attempt to seize power.
MAGA shrilly screamed about “second amendment solutions” at school board meetings all over the country.
What’s good for the goose… and all that.
So MAGA, please stop with the self-righteous indignation. You reap what ye sow. This is the game you wanted. Morons.