The assassination attempt changes nothing

We’ve had so many presidents and presidential candidates killed or almost killed by gunfire that Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump should not have come as a surprise. But it did.

It came as a surprise, a shock, a sobering reminder of the tense times we live in, and a tragic example of political violence that called for all of us, Republicans and Democrats, to unite in condemning the violence, expressing relief that the former president was not more seriously injured and mourning the loss of a brave firefighter in the crowd.

It’s time for a rare national moment of unity. It’s not time for cheap partisan political rhetoric. But many braindead, extreme-right politicians could not resist. Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), desperate to become Trump’s VP running mate, immediately blamed President Biden. His criticism of Trump, Vance charged, “led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.” It seemed to work, as Vance was named Trump’s choice on Monday evening.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) came close to blaming Biden for planning the whole thing: “They’ve wanted Trump gone for years and they’re prepared to do anything to make that happen.” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) went all the way, demanding that Biden be arrested for “inciting an assassination.”

Then there were those, like Republican strategist John Thomas, who crowed that, after the tragic shooting at the Butler Fairground, the 2024 election was all but over. Everything had changed. All other issues had vanished. Democrats might as well fold their tent, Thomas told Sky News: “I suspect it will propel Trump’s campaign to total victory in November.”

There’s only one word for all of the above blather: “No.” Especially “no” to the idea that Trump’s close call changes what’s on the line in 2024.

What happened last Saturday in Pennsylvania changes nothing, except that it will hopefully encourage people, starting with Trump, to tone down the hate-filled rhetoric. Otherwise, the choice remains the same: between a convicted felon and failed former president and an honorable public servant and effective current president who has achieved more in four years than most presidents do in eight.

It happened by accident, but nobody made that point more forcefully than Sunday’s New York Times. Its front page, as expected, reported on the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania the evening before. But on that same day, the cover of its Opinion section, obviously prepared days ahead, featured a full-page of black background bearing a stark warning in bold white lettering: “He FAILED the tests of leadership and BETRAYED America. Voters must REJECT him in November. Donald Trump is Unfit to Lead.” It had been written by the Times editorial board.

Again, that was obviously an accident in timing. But the message could not have been delivered more powerfully. No matter how shocking and tragic the attempt to murder the former president and Republican candidate, the issues remain the same and the American people have an important choice to make.

Thank God, he survived an assassination attempt. But Trump is still the former president who refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and unleashed an armed mob to attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump is still the Republican candidate who once called for “termination” of the election laws and even the Constitution, and who won’t promise to accept the results of the 2024 election.

Taking him at his word, Trump in fact remains an existential threat to our democracy. And calling him that is not a call for people to commit violence. It’s an urgent call for people to get out and vote.

Press is host of “The Bill Press Pod.” He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”