Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump Fails

The gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, PA, was shot and killed by federal agents very soon after the attempted assassination.

It was unclear whether Mr. Trump was injured by a bullet or by a stray shard from the teleprompter. One rally attendee was fatally shot by the would-be assassin.

Republicans Blame Biden

Strangely, Crooks was registered as a Republican, as is Mr. Trump. And while the Secret Service and other agencies have not determined the shooter’s motive, right-wing Republicans immediately asserted, without any evidence, that President Joe Biden was responsible. Several senators who were on Trump’s short list of potential vice-presidential nominees—including J.D. Vance of Ohio, who got the nod from Trump the following Monday, and Tim Scott of S. Carolina—almost immediately claimed the shooter was doing the work of left-wing activists.

Vance wrote, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Scott wrote on one of his social media accounts, “Let’s be clear: This was an assassination attempt aided and abetted by the radical Left and corporate media incessantly calling Trump a threat to democracy, fascists, or worse.”

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) wrote on his X account, Joe Biden sent the orders,” later adding, “The Republican District Attorney in Butler County, Pa., should immediately file charges against Joe Biden for inciting an assassination.”

Democrats Condemn Political Violence

President Biden and every Democratic office-holder who weighed in condemned the shooting in strong terms, with many of them calling for stronger gun laws—laws that Republicans have vehemently opposed for decades. President Biden called the attempt “sick,” and reasserted that violence has no place in American politics; echoing that ethic were Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Wis), and numerous other Democrats.

“Political violence has no place in our country,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote that “political violence is never acceptable.”

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) account: “As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”

Pelosi’s husband was viciously attacked in 2022 by a Canadian-born conservative activist and conspiracy theorist who broke into the Pelosi home in San Francisco and, on discovering that Rep. Pelosi was not home, beat her 82-year-old husband with a hammer. The attacker was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Gun Control a Moot Point

The GOP specifically has called for—and in many Republican-led states, enacted—looser registration and acquisition laws, asserting that under the Second Amendment, all forms of weaponry should be available to all citizens. Republicans, along with their allies and funders like the National Rifle Association, insist, in particular, that even military-style assault weapons like the one used by Mr. Crooks should be protected by the Second Amendment.

Historically, very few attempts have been made on the lives of GOP office-holders. Since the 1960s, assassins have killed three major icons of Democratic progressive politics—President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a presidential candidate, also in 1968. Then in 1972, a shooter attempted to kill Gov. George Wallace of Alabama, campaigning for the Democratic nomination in 1972.

The only prominent attempt on a Republican leader’s life was John Hinckley’s shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981; Hinckley apparently had no political motive; he is said to have wanted to impress actress Jodie Foster.

Campaigns on Hold

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Mr. Biden called and spoke directly to Mr. Trump to offer his wishes for a complete and speedy recovery. The Democratic president and nominee for reelection also put his campaign on a temporary hold, withdrawing media advertising and campaign appearances. The ads and campaigning resumed during the Republican National Convention July 15-20.