Donald Trump had blood on his cheek. He was on the ground. The bullet only grazed his ear at an open-air rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. After an assassination attempt, the former president had an extraordinary reaction. Rather than be carried away by the agents charged with his protection as per the evacuation protocol, he stood up, clenched his fist and shouted a rallying cry to his supporters: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Two days later, the Republican National Convention opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Euphoria was in the air. With the kind fervor usually reserved for rock icons, ecstatic delegates saluted Trump's presence, an oversized bandage over his ear. They raised their fists in turn, a frightening Roman cohort: "Fight! Fight! Fight!" On stage, many speakers said a divine intervention had deflected the bullet's path at just the right time.

The Republican Party no longer existed as a place for reflection and debate. Everything from its organizational structure to its finances, elected officials and political platform had been absorbed by the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. All that was left was one man, a roaring crowd at his feet, intent on exacting revenge for his unaccepted defeat at the hands of Joe Biden in 2020. What he didn't know yet was that everything was about to change overnight when Kamala Harris entered the race.

None of this was a foregone conclusion. Trump's comeback and his iron grip on the Republican Party, while in no way foreshadowing the outcome of the November 5 presidential election, are already in themselves an extraordinary political performance. It results both from the cowardice of conservative leaders and the skill of the former president, who followed his instincts at pivotal moments, going against what might be called political common sense.

Immediate desire for revenge

On January 20, 2021, Trump took his final flight aboard Air Force One. He was very much alone in the bitterness of defeat. At the same time, Biden's inauguration ceremony was taking place in Washington. Ronna McDaniel, the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), called him to wish him a safe trip. The conversation took an unexpected turn when the billionaire told her, "I'm done. I'm starting my own party." The anecdote was reported by ABC journalist Jonathan Karl in a book published a few months later (Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show). It speaks volumes about Trump's frustration and his immediate desire for revenge.

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