At 5:36 central time yesterday I was texting with my friend Tre when he sent this message:
Shots fired at Trump rally
I assumed it meant shots were fired outside a rally, not that it was an assassination attempt. I was quickly proved wrong.
A shooter, apparently perched nearby on a rooftop, opened fire on Trump mid-speech. The bullet grazed the side of his face and, it seems, took off a chunk of his ear. Secret service immediately surrounded the former President.
Sadly, someone in the crowd was hit and killed.
The would-be assassin was killed by the Secret Service.
The reaction in some circles was embarrassing and shortsighted; more than once I saw someone joking that the shooters aim "should have been better."
There is ZERO excuse for political violence in a country where the right to free speech, the right to protest, and the right to vote are ubiquitous.
This shooting was, and is, an embarrassment to our nation and to our ideals. I applaud the reaction of many politicians, on both sides of the aisle, including President Biden and WI's Democratic Gov and our Senators, in wishing Trump well and condemning the attack.
Tomorrow the RNC Convention begins here in Milwaukee. Security is already tight; I'm sure it just got a heck of a lot tighter, and I'm sure the Secret Service is going to have a short fuse. I pray there will be peace and that the political process continue without incident.
Meanwhile, this photo (I believe it to be taken by a NY Times photographer at the event), is making the rounds around the world. Whether you vote for Trump or not, the feelings it inspires are so powerful it overwhelms your senses. A former President, wounded and bleeding, being escorted to safety but even in that awful moment stopping to signal to the crowd that he 'continues' - and in the background, an unblemished, undiminished, US Flag.
It truly invokes the power and resilience of our nation, and I think it's one of the best news photos I've seen in a very long time.
