Former President Donald Trump is leaning hard on his survival of an assassination attempt in his third White House bid, despite history showing that surviving such attempts doesn’t offer much political benefit. Trump was shot in the ear by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, for which he plans to hold another rally as a triumphant symbol of his perseverance and fighting spirit. Trump has incorporated the attempt on his life into his campaign narrative, focusing on strength and resilience while blaming Democrats for inciting violence against him. The imagery of Trump shaking with his fist with blood smeared across his face has become an iconic part of the MAGA movement’s imagery.
However, historical precedent shows that surviving an assassination attempt does not necessarily benefit a candidate politically. This was seen with former presidents like Theodore Roosevelt and Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who also survived such attempts but did not see significant gains as a result. Despite this, Trump has made surviving the attempt a central part of his campaign and has mentioned it at numerous public events since the shooting. While Trump’s supporters rally around him and see the shooting as part of a larger persecution against him, critics argue that Trump’s narrative around the shooting is designed to portray him as a heroic figure rather than focusing on the actual events or motives of the shooter, Crooks. Ultimately, the impact of the shooting on Trump’s campaign remains to be seen, with experts noting that other factors will likely decide the outcome of the election.
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