We used to be impressed with Hollywood movies that portrayed the FBI and Secret Service agents as the world’s most professional, intelligent and heroic law enforcement officers. However, this image was betrayed by the abysmal unprofessionalism revealed in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States and the then-leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
On July 13, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was shot in the upper right ear by an amateurish 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks climbed onto a roof and fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle before being taken out by a Secret Service sniper. The roof was in a strategic position overlooking the rally and should never have been missed as a point of concern by the Secret Service.
Furthermore, it was later revealed that rallygoers had noticed Crooks climbing onto the roof and warned local law enforcement. A local police officer who encountered Crooks on the roof had the opportunity to confront the shooter but retreated down the ladder, giving Crooks the chance to take the shot. Sadly, one rally attendee was killed, and two others were critically injured.
The shocking incident marked the 10th assassination or attempted assassination of a current or former US president or president-elect. Given such a history, one would have assumed that the Secret Service would implement the most watertight security arrangements for the rally. Legitimate questions were raised about how such an amateurish gunman could have come so close to killing Trump, reflecting the shocking negligence of the US Secret Service.
Second, this incident further exposes the gun proliferation problem in the US. It is ironic that Trump, who has been a strong supporter of Americans’ right to own assault rifles, was nearly killed by one. The arms industry developed the AR-15 rifle used by the shooter to mimic the US Army’s M-16, a highly lethal assault weapon. It is incredible to the world that almost any ordinary US citizen can possess such a deadly weapon. The federal assault-weapons ban, which prohibited the possession of assault weapons like the AR-15, was in effect from 1994 to 2004 but was not extended by the Republican-controlled Congress. So far this year, more than 9,000 citizens have been killed by gun violence in the US. Even after the assassination attempt, neither Trump nor the Republican Party has called for tighter controls on the AR-15!
A Gallup opinion survey on confidence in institutions showed that only 8 percent of Americans highly trust Congress, and only 26 percent highly trust the president. In other words, whichever of the two US presidential candidates wins will be considered a disaster when elected
Third, the incident exposes the ugly side of US presidential elections. Instead of debating federal policies and the country’s future governance, the election campaigns on both sides are full of provocative political rhetoric, with each side labeling the opposing party as an evil force bent on destroying American society. Biden has cast Trump as a threat to US democracy, using phrases like it was “time to put Trump in a bull’s-eye”. Within hours of the assassination attempt on Trump, Senator JD Vance, who was on Trump’s shortlist for running mate before Trump announced that Vance was his choice, alleged that Biden’s campaign “rhetoric led directly to president Trump’s attempted assassination”. Such comments will likely heap more fuel onto the fire in a political atmosphere that was already dangerously polarized.
Fourth, the shooting highlights the worsening polarization of many contentious issues, such as race, immigration, gun control, and abortion. Trump’s supporters are mainly on the extreme right, which has led to increasing political violence. Reuters has identified 213 cases of political violence through August 2023 in the US since the Jan 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol. A case in point is a Trump supporter in Ohio who shot a neighbor he suspected of being a Democrat. Such political violence has accounted for the killing of at least 39 people. The attempted assassination is just the most dramatic manifestation of this polarization.
Most alarmingly, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll of nearly 4,500 registered voters in May 2023 found that 20 percent of respondents from both the Democratic and Republican parties consider violence “acceptable” if committed “to achieve a better society”. The US Department of Homeland Security has admitted that these political extremists, “motivated by a range of ideological beliefs”, pose a “persistent and lethal threat”. More political violence is expected as the election date comes closer.
Finally, the incident reflects the naivety of American voters. The US presidential elections are overwhelmingly about images and perception, with few resources devoted to substantive debates on issues. After the shooting, Trump quickly got back up, bleeding from his ear. Surrounded by Secret Service agents, he pumped his fist in the air and shouted “Fight, fight!” before being rushed to a vehicle. Compared to the image of a tired, sick, wooden old Biden struggling to convey his message during the presidential debate, Trump’s aggressive strongman image would most likely win over more voters in the presidential election on Nov 5.
A Gallup opinion survey on confidence in institutions showed that only 8 percent of Americans highly trust Congress, and only 26 percent highly trust the president. In other words, whichever of the two US presidential candidates wins will be considered a disaster when elected.
The author is an honorary fellow of the HKU-Space and Hong Kong Metropolitan University and a council member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
