Two Roads After the Attempted Trump Assassination: Which One Will Trump Choose?

In the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last night, two very different roads lie ahead. The choice that matters is the one that Trump himself decides to take because he commands total support among his followers, now more than ever before. The Fox media world, and to a lesser extent, other conservative media, also will take their lead from him, as will Republican members of Congress. Joe Biden uses the words “inflection point” a little too much, but they accurately describe the circumstance the nation now faces. Some are already taking the wrong road, but it is still very early. It will be up to Trump as to which road is eventually the one most travelled. It is no overstatement to say that the fate of the country could depend on which choice he makes this week at the convention.    

               The first road is one of national healing. There are some signs this is possible:

--The shock of what happened had the national media treating Trump supporters as human beings, and likewise, at least from what I saw, there was mutual respect running in the other direction. Encouraging given the anti-mainstream media tone of Trump rallies over the years.

--President Biden graciously called his rival whom Biden and much of the country believe poses an existential threat to democracy. One assumes that the two men talked as human beings, not as combatants, which is good for the country to see. Who knows? The two may have softened their views of one another and might even soften the tones of their campaigns going forward.  

--Maybe some Republicans, even Trump himself, will now support at least mental health-related restrictions on gun purchases. That would send a powerful signal to the six conservatives on the Supreme Court to find that such limited restrictions are consistent with the Second amendment.

The other road is one of much greater division:

--Trump decides to follow the line already being taken by former Trump Attorney General William Barr and Sen. J.D. Vance (and potential Trump VP pick) that Democrats and/or the media exaggerated his “one day dictatorship” claim and other threats to democracy, thus creating the atmosphere that led to this apparent lone wolf attack. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-need-stop-existential-threat-rhetoric-about-trump-former-ag-barr; https://www.foxnews.com/politics/potential-trump-vp-vance-accuses-biden-admin-inciting-violence-wild-rhetoric.

--Trump, or his surrogates with his blessing, blame the Biden administration for what could have been incompetence by the Secret Service by not taking preemptive action against the shooter who apparently was seen climbing to the roof before shooting and/or by cutting back his Secret Service security detail.

--By taking the verbal attack path, Trump, or his surrogates would increase the risk of a retaliatory lone wolf (or worse) attacks on Democratic candidates, maybe even Biden, or his replacement, if Biden chooses to stand down.

               Needless to say, the road of division poses a real and imminent danger to our democracy: an inability to resolve our political differences through non-violent means.

               To repeat, I am fully aware of the early signs that Trump may take the division road, but he has plenty of time to follow the healing road. If he did so, it would greatly increase his chances of election, which already have bumped up in prediction markets in the wake of the attempted assassination. Trump may be elected anyway if he takes the other path, out of a new-found sympathy for him. But I hope he does the right thing, regardless of the immediate political consequences. Too much is at stake.