By now we’ve all seen the iconic fist pump from former President Donald Trump after the failed assassination attempt on his life, on July 13th, 2024. This date marks the first assassination attempt of a U.S. President since Ronald Reagan in 1981. To say that most of us are still a bit shaken, would be an understatement.
President Trump had just taken the stage and was just minutes into his speech to the thousands of supporters that had peacefully assembled on that hot summer day in rural Pennsylvania. At 6:11 PM, shots rang out, forever changing the political tone in the United States of America.
One of the rounds struck the 45th president in the right ear, as he instinctively dropped to the ground to avoid further gunfire. Agents then rushed the stage to form a human barrier around the president; and subsequently ushered the bloodied president off the stage, to his armored vehicle.
Tragically, three innocent rally-goers were shot. They were struck during the initial volley, two critically, and one fatally from the barrage of gunfire emanating from the unsecured rooftop.
There’s been a ton of speculation regarding the assassin's ability to encroach on the president's position. In what appears to be an epic failure on behalf of the protection detail, the apparent lone shooter was allowed to climb onto a rooftop roughly 130 yards from the podium, effectively unchallenged; and point his rifle towards the 45thpresident of the United States, and open fire.
It’s simply implausible that a man wearing camouflage fatigues and carrying an AR-15 could casually walk through a secured perimeter without being confronted. We know that moments before the shooting erupted, witnesses outside the rally attempted to point out the assassin “bear crawling” on the roof with a high-powered rifle.
Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, it's fair to wonder where America might be right now if the gunman had fired two centimeters to the right. Would this have been the final straw that tested the bounds of civility in our republic? Many say yes, since factions of the progressive left, continue to search for new ways to disenfranchise conservatives from the political process.
Since Trump took office in 2016, democrats have accused him of treason, impeached him, prosecuted him, jailed his followers, and tried to bankrupt him into oblivion; nothing seems to be off limits at this point. They’ve created a zero-sum game for their ilk, and taking up arms against their political opponents is merely the next logical step.
Most don’t fully comprehend the enormity of the assassination attempt on President Trump's life, or what it means going forward. The left is steering America towards a path normally reserved for banana republics or fledging dictatorships. I have my thoughts on the matter but will wait until the investigatory process is concluded.
Until then, I will defer my convictions to deep-state conspiracy theories that make much more sense than a completely incompetent Secret Service.
Thanks, and God bless.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sold opinion of the writer
