An assassin can kill a president, but cowardice is what kills a movement. President Donald Trump didn’t give his would-be murderer what the gunman wanted. Trump survived the shots, then he did something profound—he waved back the Secret Service agents shielding him, freeing his bloodied face up from the scrum, and, with a look of defiance, raised his fist and said, “Fight!”
He shouldn’t have done it, according to the rules of presidential security. And the Secret Service were obviously torn between the urgency of covering the former president and getting him to safety, and allowing him to do what he was determined to do. They parted just far enough for Trump to show his face and pump his fist. His life and theirs were at risk.
But the risk had to be taken. The United States can’t be led by a coward or by someone who looks like one under fire. Trump knew in a split second what a leader had to do in that situation. He had to show courage. Morale is a nation’s blood. Trump refused to let the assassin shed it, even as his own wounds bled.
The assassin’s bullets took the life of at least one member of the audience before the murderer himself was put down. Leaders across the political spectrum wasted no time in denouncing the political violence. News of the shooting broke minutes before 6:30 p.m. EDT. At 6:46 p.m., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose independent bid for the White House this year poses complications for Trump and President Joe Biden alike, called for peace and prayer for Trump. At 7:01 p.m., Bernie Sanders made a similar statement on X, formerly Twitter. Further statements followed from Liz Cheney at 7:18 p.m. and former president George W. Bush at 7:22.
