In a cluster of Secret Service guards, Trump, with blood running down his face, was hurriedly escorted into the car and driven away. But he expressed a few words: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” (“Fight! Fight! Fight!”) The election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday did not go as planned. Suddenly shots were fired at the ex-president as he stood on the podium. The bullet hit Trump’s ear. A bystander was shot and killed. Another two people were injured. The 20-year-old whom the FBI has identified as the alleged perpetrator, Thomas Mathew Crooks, was killed shortly afterwards. – It is a shocking incident that will throw the election campaign upside down, says Are Tågvold Flaten, editor of Amerikanspolitikk.no, to news. However, Flaten believes that the assassination attempt will not necessarily weaken Trump. On the contrary. Attacked for his opinions – I think Trump will be able to profit from this politically, even if it is a strange thing to say so soon after an assassination attempt, says Flaten. He points out that Trump has, after all, come away from the attack alive. And the presidential candidate has already been discharged from hospital. Donald Trump waves to supporters as he is apparently somewhat reluctantly led away by Secret Service guards. Photo: Brendan McDermid / Reuters – It confirms the rhetoric he has used for a long time: That he is someone who is attacked by others because of his political affairs of the heart, says Flaten. The attack occurred two days before the Republican National Convention, where Trump will be officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate. The Trump campaign has announced that he will attend the meeting as planned and that he is “doing well”. Flaten believes the attack may also give some sympathy for Trump. Perhaps he can secure some new supporters and votes in an election campaign that is very even. He also believes the incident can help reinforce an impression of the contrasts between Trump and Biden. Where 78-year-old Trump appears strong and robust, while 81-year-old Biden is criticized for being old. Flaten is not the only one to make this point. – The exact opposite of Biden – Trump quickly managed to turn this situation, where he risked being killed, into a positive thing through this iconic image of the American steadfastness that he displayed, says Eirik Løkke, adviser at the liberal think tank Civita, to news. Biden has long been criticized for being too frail and too old for the presidency. Criticism did not subside after the presidential debate with Trump at the end of June, which has led to several Democrats and commentators demanding that Biden withdraw from the election campaign. Several Trump supporters were covered in blood after the attack. A man who was present was shot and killed. Another two were injured. Photo: REBECCA DROKE / AFP – Now you get a contrast to Trump, who despite the assassination attempt stands out as a strong leader with a clenched fist. In that way, he appears as the direct opposite of Biden, emphasizes Løkke. More conflict and divisions The attack takes place in the middle of a turbulent election campaign characterized by polarization and large distances between the candidates and their supporters. Joe Biden was early in condemning the attack on Trump. But Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who has been tipped as a possible vice-presidential candidate for Trump, quickly leveled accusations at Biden and the Democrats. – It is not just an isolated incident, Vance wrote on X. – The core of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. The rhetoric led directly to the assassination attempt on President Trump, he emphasizes. Vance thus refers to Trump as president despite the fact that he is a former president and presidential candidate. Republican Senator JD Vance (left) believes Biden and the Democrats are responsible for the attack on Trump. Here were Vance and Trump at an election rally in Ohio in March. Photo: Jeff Dean / AP Løkke believes this is an example of how the assassination attempt is already contributing to a more tense political climate. He believes it is important that information is now obtained about the alleged perpetrator and the motive for the attack in order to avoid speculation and conspiracies. But Løkke fears that the incident could contribute to more political violence and assassination attempts. Something he emphasizes is a threat to democracy: – It escalates an already toxic situation in the USA. And that is very unfortunate. Interested in foreign affairs? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast: Published 14.07.2024, at 11.01
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This is how the Trump attack can affect the election campaign – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
