Assassination attempt on Trump "Sir, we have to get to the cars"

The unthinkable happens in a small town in Pennsylvania. A gunman fires at presidential candidate Donald Trump. The election year takes a dramatic turn.

Donald Trump is in mid-sentence when the first shots are fired. The former US president is standing on a stage at an election campaign appearance in the small town of Butler in the state of Pennsylvania. He grabs his right ear, then ducks to the ground behind his lectern. Several Secret Service agents immediately rush to him and throw themselves over the Republican. Panic breaks out in the audience. People scream and throw themselves to the ground. Another shot. Loud screams echo through the audience again.

Seconds later, the security guards stand Trump up behind the lectern. The 78-year-old is bleeding from his right ear, his hair a mess, his red cap no longer on his head. "Let me put my shoes on," Trump says several times. "Sir, we have to get to the cars," replies one of the bodyguards who form a ring around him. The agents want to start moving with him, but Trump shouts in between them: "Wait, wait, wait, wait." Then, from within the ring of security guards, he raises his fist into the air, punches it forward three times and, inaudibly, forms a word with his lips that supporters later interpret as: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The photo of Trump with blood on his face and a clenched fist in the air goes around the world. Trump, who knows about the power of images, demonstrates a special political instinct with this lightning-fast reaction within seconds of the attack and ensures that he dictates the narrative of the historic event with these images.

The assassination attempt on the former president and current Republican presidential candidate gives the US election year, which is already one like no other, a dramatic new twist. It exacerbates tensions in a deeply divided America and raises fears of spiraling political violence to a whole new level.

"The bullet pierced the skin"

After the news of the first shots fired at Trump, events come thick and fast. In the end, the suspected shooter is dead, as is a bystander. Two other people in the audience are seriously injured. Trump, on the other hand, is quickly brought to safety and escapes with a minor injury. "I was hit by a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear," he wrote after the attack on Truth Social, a platform he co-founded. "I knew immediately that something was wrong because I heard a hissing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet pierce my skin." His team assures him he is fine.

A few hours after the attack, Trump's election campaign published a video on the X platform showing the presidential candidate getting off his private plane in a fresh suit and well coiffed. His deputy communications director writes: "Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America." The message from the Trump people: this man is invincible and absolutely nothing can get him down. And this just two days before the Republicans meet in Milwaukee for their coronation party conference to officially nominate Trump as their presidential candidate.

Fear of more chaos and more violence

The attack causes a shock in the USA and worldwide. Politicians from both parties in the USA, former American presidents and heads of government from other countries all expressed their horror. They condemn the attack - and some express concern about what lies ahead for America.

The mood in the USA is already fragile. Sections of society are hostile towards each other, threats against politicians and other officials are increasing significantly. There was an unprecedented outbreak of violence surrounding the most recent presidential election in 2020, as Trump did not concede defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, but instead incited his supporters until they finally stormed the Capitol with violence. Several people were killed at the time. There have long been fears of renewed violence and chaos surrounding the election in November. The attack on Trump is a grim confirmation of these fears and could be the beginning of more.

Firings from the Trump camp

Trump loyalist J. D. Vance, for example, who is being touted as a possible vice-presidential candidate, immediately begins to stir things up. On Platform X, the Republican senator blames Biden personally for the attack on Trump. Biden's election campaign was completely geared towards portraying Trump as an authoritarian fascist who had to be stopped at all costs, writes Vance. "This rhetoric led directly to the attempted assassination of President Trump."

Trump's son Donald Junior also railed on X that the Democrats and "their friends in the media" knew exactly what they were doing when they compared Trump to Hitler and warned of the downfall of democracy under him.

What does the attack mean for the election campaign?

After the attack, Trump himself wrote on Truth Social that God alone had protected him and prevented the unthinkable. And this: "At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand together and show our true character as Americans by remaining strong and determined and not allowing evil to win."

However, he is likely to try to systematically use the gun attack for his own purposes. Trump has always staged himself as a martyr and as someone his political opponents are trying to get out of the way by any means necessary. He has already successfully used the four criminal proceedings against him to mobilize his supporters and collect donations. A few hours after the shooting in Butler, his team sent out the first election campaign text message with the words: "I will never give up" - and a direct link to the donation website. More than almost anything else, this attack on Trump is likely to fuel a now-first-right mentality in his camp. Trump is already ahead of a stumbling Biden in the polls. The attack could give the Republican a further boost in voter solidarity.

The Biden election campaign, on the other hand, needs to regroup. Sharp political attacks against an opponent who has just been the target of an assassination attempt are out of the question. US media report that the Democrat's campaign team has suspended all outgoing communications for the time being and has also stopped campaign commercials. It is not easy to find the right tone in an election campaign after an attack of this kind.

And what will become of the discussion about Biden?

Biden actually has other things to worry about at the moment. Until the shots were fired at Trump, it looked as if the Democrat could drop out of the race against Trump at any moment under pressure from his party. The 81-year-old has been heavily criticized for his mental fitness and is facing an internal party rebellion. But in view of the attack on Trump, this is now taking a back seat for the time being.

dpa