Trump’s Moment in a Brutal Game

July 13th will go down as a moment in history. The sight of a former US President clutching at a bloodied ear and realising the perilous state that he was in is an image that should send a shudder through even the most cynical political observer.

From Australia, the attempt on Donald Trump’s life was shocking as it was bewildering that the situation was not indeed catastrophic. Millimetres, being the difference between life and death for one of the world’s most polarising figures.

And whilst ultimately Trump walked away with a minor flesh wound, the shockwaves caused by a 20-year-old kid with an overpowered military instrument are continuing to ripple out across the US political landscape in concerning waves.

Unlike other similar moments in US history, such as Ronald Reagan's attempted assassination, America has not capitalised on the opportunity to lower the temperature of political debate collectively. Typically, these pivotal moments in the past have been used to unite the country with an acknowledgment that the democratic discourse had gone too far.

From Reagan to JFK and Martin Luther King, these pivotal moments in US history have yielded great displays of unity and understanding from both sides of the political aisle.

However, within minutes of the rounds from the AR-15 cracking across our screens, Republicans were gesturing that it was indeed their arch-rivals, the Democrats, who were to blame.

This rhetoric, whilst to an Australian audience, is completely foreign and wildly inappropriate, has been a clear political tactic used for some time by extreme members within the Republican party to mobilise their base.

It is debatable whether this viewpoint is truly genuine or simply a tool to garner clicks, eyeballs, or funding; one thing it does unquestionably do is stir outrage.

And America, sadly, is obsessed with outrage.

It is an outrage machine that has mixed results at the polling booth. Trump has won and lost an election, and whilst many of his party members indeed have won their seats using his playbook – there have been equally many who never make it off the ballot.

What is undeniable, though, is that outrage makes money. Trump has raised nearly $400 million to date, with over $3.6 million contributed in the past 24 hours alone by around 40,000 individual donations, many of which are less than $200 in value. Confirmation that the American political landscape is dominated not by ideas, but by dollars.

However, one element of the weekend which may have the biggest influence on the presidential campaign.

“Fight”

Like January 6th, the word has found its way back into the political conversation.

As Donald Trump rose from the base of a Secret Service pile-on, he could be heard demanding to stand up and eyeball his crowded devotees. And, with a bloodied face and a defiant fist in the air, the words he chose to confirm his good health – were the same words he used at the podium to speak to the crowds before they stormed the Capitol Building in 2021.

Fight who? Well, that remains to be clarified.However, you would be forgiven for assuming that he referred to his political opposition in the Democrats.

In the immediate aftermath, this suggested battle cry seems to be a minor footnote on the greater and more interesting story of sheer luck and survival. My concern, however, is that as the shock and disbelief subside, anger and blame will take focus, and with Republicans across the board currently building an anger fire, Trump once again stands holding the match.

In terms of Joe Biden, this moment could be a nail in the coffin of his re-election aspirations. Ultimately, the narrative that he is a weak and frail old man will look glaringly against the backdrop of an American Flag and Trump standing defiantly with a fist in the air and blood splattered across his face.

This is how Trump will position this moment – as a strong fighter who stood unafraid when his moment of character was revealed in the face of absolute danger.  

It’s a narrative that is now hard to argue against.