Trump held a campaign rally in Michigan not too long ago, and boy, was that a treat. I mean, quite the framing of the assassination attempt: he said he "took a bullet for democracy."
https://www.youtube.com/live/NMrHOyyiaU8?si=vG8vNnHqpwFqePZn
All-classic Trump, there's always some way of twisting events to his advantage. But you've got to be impressed: getting back on the campaign trail so soon after such a serious incident is pretty remarkable, though maybe not so much from a security angle.
The turnout for the rally was overwhelming, with people lining up for miles. It was almost like this attempt on his life increased Trump's support in a way rather than scaring his followers away. I find it interesting how some of the attendees said they had come only because of the shooting. Somehow, the sense of defiance is here, almost a case of showing solidarity with Trump against danger.
I'm surprised by how fast the narrative went from unity to division again. Trump certainly didn't back down from ridiculing Biden and Harris or touting claims about the 2020 election being "rigged." Quite obviously, he is not inclined to tone down his rhetoric, even after such a close call. I think that this will continue to pump a lot of energy into his base, but it might turn more moderate voters off.
The security situation.
Moving indoors might be smart, given what happened in Pennsylvania, but I could only keep wondering whether that would be enough. The fact that he'd been able to use a drone to case out the site ahead of time does raise a degree of alarm about this incident. It raises questions in my mind about how technology is going to change the political security landscape.
Comments from Trump on Project 2025 were interesting.
It definitely seems odd that he would want to distance himself from something like this, so tailor-made for his idea of governance. I am left wondering if he is attempting to present himself as a moderate or perhaps if there is some internal dissension in his camp about the direction his potential presidency might go in the future.
Together with the Biden case, this complication adds another dimension to the election. Biden, having tested positive for COVID and increasing calls for him to face pressure to step down on age grounds are just muddying the Democratic platform, which I think opens an avenue for Trump to portray himself as the only stable and predictable one compared to the other guy, ironic, given his often erratic behavior.