The Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump and the Threat to Democracy
The assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, whatever its objective or origin, no doubt had its beginning in the shadowy sources and subterranean springs of our ever-polarized politics. We must acknowledge and dam up them before they flood us.
The slain shooter’s motives are as yet unknowable, perhaps even to himself, and they hardly matter now. Psychologists may pore over whatever evidence emerges, but they will only find hints and accusations. What matters now is the emotional barometric pressure pushing on the whole population.
The image of former president Donald J. Trump, at the age of seventy-eight, wrestling with the Secret Service to stand upright and pump his fist in the air and shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” is already resonating. Bloodied but undefeated, he resembled a roaring lion to his supporters. As Republican pollster Frank Luntz said, the shooting “will definitely impact the final vote, guaranteeing that every Trump voter will actually vote.” But what else will they do?
Trump supporters already see the shooting in the context of coordinated opposition to their candidate. The massive “Women’s March” against Trump occurred before his 2017 inauguration. The investigations of meritless “Russian collusion” dominated the first two years of his presidency, and two failed impeachment attempts overshadowed his last two years in the White House, even his last days in office. Leaks and lawsuits showered his every move. Then came the post-election civil and criminal cases against Trump, which sought to bankrupt and jail him. Now, the would-be assassin’s bullet carved a line across his cheek and ear.
Trump supporters can also trace a line of violent attacks against their team. In 2017, a shooter wounded Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) while practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game. Additionally, in 2022, a stalker attempted to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in his Chevy Chase home before giving himself up to the police.
All of this and more allows the Trump supporters to tell themselves a story of grievance and struggle. Such feelings are always an explosive fuel in politics, with no safe uses.
On the other hand, Biden supporters feel that they are losing institutions that they have controlled for decades. Biden’s catastrophic debate performance and the polls in swing states suggest an epic defeat for the Democratic president, who has served in public life for more than half a century.
The U.S. Supreme Court, which has handed down historic victories for the Left since at least 1937, is now reining in the power and reach of liberal institutions. The 2022 Dobbs decision turned abortion over to the states, ending the permissive standard set by Roe v. Wade. Last year’s Harvard case ended affirmative action admissions policies. In the past few weeks, the court narrowed the power of the bureaucracy, another liberal stronghold. Another ruling overturned “Chevron deference,” which compelled judges to bow to administrative agencies’ interpretations of their own statutory authority. Now, judges will independently decide if regulations are reasonable. Collectively, the three issues dear to the left-liberal coalition—abortion, affirmative action, and the environment—now feel lost.
Add this together, and the Left has its own story of grievance and struggle. America will have to act very quickly to prevent an immense social breakdown.
Some immediate moves could lower the temperature. Currently, President Biden decides which of his political opponents gets Secret Service protection and how much. Whatever the president decides will be interpreted by his political enemies in the worst light. It would be better to have force protections decided by an independent body, with members named by the speaker of the House, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and the president. This removes politics from the critical question of candidate protection. Clearly, former President Trump needs better security, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (especially given his family’s tragic history) can no longer be denied protection. Judges also need more protection. A cycle of violence cannot be allowed to start.
Next, congress should quickly convene public hearings about the failures of Secret Service efforts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Conspiracy theories must be snipped before they bloom. Accountability and transparency will restore trust.
Finally, the tone of American politics needs an adjustment. Biden must disavow his words of a week ago about putting “Trump in the bullseye” and must tell his supporters to stop comparing Trump to Hitler or calling the opposition candidate an “existential threat” to democracy. Trump, meanwhile, must urge his supporters to keep the peace and use ballots, not bullets. He should also make clear that he will not use law enforcement to pursue his political rivals.
A lone shooter in Sarajevo set off World War I. Situations can escalate suddenly. Sober minds are urgently needed now to keep the peace.
Ahmed Charai is the Publisher of Jerusalem Strategic Tribune and serves on the boards of directors of the Atlantic Council, the International Crisis Group, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the Center for the National Interest.
Image: Shutterstock.com.