It seemed like an uneventful Sunday morning in the city of Bengaluru, India, where I was temporarily based.
I woke up at 8 A.M. and turned on my phone, expecting nothing unusual. I logged on to X and glanced through the very first post on my timeline, and the words “Trump” and “assassination” almost leaped out of the copious text, and I felt a subtle shudder of fear.
I immediately accessed the BBC news website, and I had little patience to sift through various posts on X to get to the bottom of what had actually occurred.
President Trump was being targeted on all fronts at that time, and the likes of Tucker Carlson had openly speculated about the possibility that Trump could be assassinated.
The BBC website took ages to load, and I noticed that the WiFi service at the hotel had stopped working. I wondered if the worst had happened, and maybe the disabling of the WiFi was connected to this. I accessed my mobile internet, but as always, during moments when it was desperately needed to work, the service was almost non-functional. The BBC news website was still loading, with the abominable Chrome “loading” circle icon seeming to spin interminably.
Left with no other alternative, I resorted to the television and began browsing through channels.
A few local news channels were covering the occurrence, but they were conversing in their local language of Kannada, and the captions were also in the local script. I finally landed on CNN International, where I read the word “attempt” following the word “assassination.” It then became clear that President Trump had survived.
By this time, my mobile internet was functional, and I could watch a video of Trump surviving.
Amid his speech, President Trump turned to his right to point toward a screen displaying border-crossing numbers. This is when three shots were heard. Trump raised his hand to touch his right ear, and agents of the Secret Service rushed to the stage and piled atop Trump to shield him.
At this point, one would have expected Trump to remain shielded by the Secret Service agents and then be escorted to a place of safety. This is what any normal human being with an instinct of self-preservation would do.
But Trump realized that it wasn’t only he, but his supporters at the rally who were there to see him and hear him were also in peril.
Hence, mere moments after a near-death experience, President Trump emerged from the surrounding Secret Service agents, pumped his clenched fist defiantly in the air, and urged his supporters to fight. There wasn’t even an iota of fear on his face; he seemed defiant and determined. Trump-supporters reciprocated this display of fearlessness with loud cheers and then chants of “USA, USA, USA.”
Moments later, President Trump was escorted off the stage and was on his way into a vehicle, which was meant to take him to a local hospital. Despite his back turned to the crowd, President Trump raised his fist again, emphasizing his defiance staring death in the eye.
In doing so, President Trump revealed his true character.
There are many of Trump’s detractors who claim that he plays a tough-talking character when in public, but in reality, he is cowardly and weak.
Trump’s display following the assassination attempt put all those claims permanently to rest.
One can pretend away to glory as long as everything is rosy, but the true character is always revealed during moments of peril, especially mortal peril.
President Trump’s conduct proved that he is an undeniable braveheart.
Days after the attempt, Trump’s attitude was exemplary. He seemed unfazed as he appeared at the Republican National Convention to officially accept the party’s nomination.
Months after the attempt, Trump continued to campaign as if nothing had happened. He even joked about the attempt at the Al Smith charity dinner last year.
What is also quite amazing, but expected, is how the mainstream media moved on from the assassination attempt. There was scant mention of the attempt mere days after the incident occurred. Had any Democrat been in place of Trump, they not only would remind everyone about this ’til Election Day, but would blame all Republicans for it.
I spoke to quite a few Trump-supporters following the attempt. One of them is a tough former law enforcement officer, who confessed that he was reduced to tears as he watched the occurrences live on television. He, like many other Trump-supporters, feared for Trump’s well-being, even when he was escorted off stage; they worried that he might have been hit elsewhere by stray bullets.
Many Trump-supporters told me they prayed for Trump’s family and their well-being following the attempt. Most couldn’t even fathom the turmoil they must have faced during those times.
This is why the bond between Trump and his supporters remains so strong.
Trump’s voters realize that, unlike other politicians, Trump didn’t need politics to become wealthy, powerful, connected, and famous. He had it all before joining politics.
Trump suffered due to his political career; he became the target of smear campaigns and baseless hatred due to his politics, and he almost paid the ultimate price.
Trump-supporters may occasionally disagree with something he says or does, but they continue to support him because of the considerable sacrifices that he and his family have made and continue to make.
This isn’t a cult, but rather a bond of admiration and respect.
Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.