On the Trump Assassination Attempt

Understanding the context and how not to respond

Evan Vucci / Associated Press

Immediately after the assassination attempt on his life, former President Trump stood above the Secret Service guards huddled around him with blood whiskers on his face and the American flag waving overhead and pumped his fist as he shouted, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” In the stands behind him, his supporters froze for a moment, stunned with shock and disbelief, then burst to their feet in wild applause. Whatever you think of Trump, the power of this moment can hardly be overstated. Ask yourself, when was the last time an American president faced mortal danger and barked in its face?

For one thing, few presidents have ever been shot at in their lives. During the French and Indian War, George Washington had several close calls. At the Battle of the Monongahela in 1755, he rode into the savage fray and had two horses shot out from under him. Four musket balls tore through his coat. But he never shed blood. During the Revolutionary War, a 13-year-old Andrew Jackson was captured by the British who slashed his face and upheld hand with a sword for refusing to clean a British officer’s boots. Zachary “Old Rough and Ready” Taylor and his forces held their ground at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War and Ulysses Grant often put himself on the front lines, such as during the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg. But despite years of extensive military service, neither man was ever seriously wounded.