On July 14, the front pages of American newspapers splashed a riveting photograph: a combative Donald Trump, with blood running down from his right ear, pumping his fist in defiance after an assassin's bullet nearly killed him. The American flag forming the backdrop of the former president's bloodied face gave the moment an added context. The contrast with President Joe Biden's debate debacle on June 27-the world saw on live television a frail, diminished and barely coherent candidate-could not have been starker.
Even Trump's critics acknowledged his presence of mind, which helped turn a crisis into an opportunity.
Despite the possibility of death at the hands of a lone gunman who fired at him during a campaign event at Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Trump displayed admirable political instincts and situational awareness by getting back in charge seconds after an initial loss of composure. Trump knew the world was watching and he made sure that the image of his feisty response, which even the perennially unfriendly New York Times called "an incarnation of defiance", would be what the voters will remember about the fateful evening. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
A voluntary firefighter who tried to shield his family, too, was killed in the attack.
"Without a doubt, the attempted assassination helps Trump and further diminishes Biden. It sets up a sharp contrast for many voters between a courageous and defiant challenger and a weak and indecisive incumbent," said Sadanand Dhume, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute based in Washington, DC. Republican strategists will continue to drive home the point that while Trump beat back a semiautomatic rifle, Biden finds it hard to take even a flight of stairs. The president now enters Air Force One through the rear using the shorter stairs there, and avoids the 18-foot climb at the front.
This story is from the July 28, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 28, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
