The weekend’s events in rural Pennsylvania were both tragic and unthinkable. The immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump brought both sides together, at least temporarily.
From a prime-time Oval Office address, President Joe Biden urged the country to “lower the temperature.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that Americans need to, “turn the rhetoric down.” Trump signaled his intention to do his part. “The speech … was going to be a humdinger,” the former president told the Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito, who has in the crowd in Butler, Pa. “Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now.”
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Trump added, “It is a chance to bring the country together. I was given that chance.”
On that point, he’s right. The malicious event brought an unmistakable reality to a serious disease infecting our country right now. The unhealthy political discourse we all feel deep in our bones every time we turn on the television, open social media or defend our political positions at the mailbox play out as daily symptoms. This serious illness, presenting itself as unhealthy political discourse, nearly boiled over into the loss of life of a former and potentially future president.
Every American — regardless of political ideology — should be grateful that Donald Trump is alive today. A dark chapter of American history was inches away from being written in permanent ink.
Two major questions remain: Will this serve as a pivot point back toward civility or a catalyst toward more anger and chaos? What role do the two men vying to be commander-in-chief play in it? Both have unique opportunities to positively (or negatively) shape the future of this country.
In 2020, candidate Biden pledged to restore “the soul of America.” Unity has not come to pass during his presidency, and there is blame on all sides of the equation. Too often, he has carried the concerns of his tribe, and his tribe only, to Congress via legislation and to the federal agencies via executive order. The weekend’s events have given Biden a new chance to embrace the role as president for all.
In 2016 and 2020, candidate and later President Trump promised to “Make America Great Again.” Yet he left office with numerous indicators that he fell short. This weekend’s heroic survival from an assassination attempt will give him unfettered access to the reset button on his toxic approach.
The world is Trump’s oyster right now. It’s his canvas to paint, whether we like his approach or not.
He has a choice. He can rise to the moment and allow this event to provide sobering clarity. Or he can use it as an intoxicating political land grab, engaging in online blame games, like the attempt by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, attempt to blame Biden for Saturday’s horrific events.
Some will scoff at the idea of Trump following his better angels. If past is prologue, we know what to expect from Trump.
I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball, but I do know this: The first attempted assassination of an American president in more than four decades left a nation reeling. Like Sept. 11, 2001, everyone will remember where they were when they learned Trump had been shot.
This is a pivot point whether some want it or not. History will remember this period as a patriotic shift or a political divide. The choice is ours.
The political tail winds behind Trump are blowing at gale force. A federal judge Monday dismissed the criminal case involving classified documents, long seen as the most serious of the pending legal cases. He could be on the verge of the biggest political turnaround in history.
Saturday’s event created an opportunity for all to hit the reset. The country and our mounting list of issues are crying out for genuine leadership right now. Whoever seizes the mantle will not only be rewarded with the highest office in the land but also the awesome obligation of bringing us together.
The eyes of the nation are watching and waiting, including those looking for leadership now and the 10% of voters in the middle who will still determine this election.
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