Political violence overshadows US election

The incident occurred on September 15 (US time), and the suspect has so far been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh – a 9-year-old man living in Hawaii. This is another notable development in the unpredictable US election process.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has not released many details, but is investigating the possibility that this was an assassination attempt on Mr. Trump.

American politics shocked by violence

Mr. Trump was safe after the above-mentioned assassination attempt. However, this is the second time in just two months that the former US president has been the victim of an assassination attempt. This makes the public see a dark picture of American politics because of the shadow of violence.

Many eyes have been on the Secret Service, the federal law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the country’s political leaders. The recent plot to attack Mr. Trump has led to serious discussions about adjusting security operations.

Speaking to the Guardian (UK), a spokesperson for the US Secret Service affirmed that “we are living in a dangerous period”. According to Palm Beach Police Chief Ric Bradshaw, Mr. Trump is not the current president so his protection is not carried out at the highest level.

“If he were the president, we would have surrounded the golf course. But since he’s not the president, his security is limited to areas that the Secret Service deems appropriate,” Bradshaw said.

Michael Matranga, who served as a Secret Service guard for former President Barack Obama, described the assassination attempts on Mr Trump as “unprecedented,” telling the newspaper New York Times that the Secret Service should provide security to Mr. Trump as if he were a president.

Meanwhile, AP news agency quoted Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna (California) as saying: “Two assassination attempts within 60 days targeting a former president and Republican nominee are unacceptable.

The Secret Service must go to Congress tomorrow, tell us what resources they need to increase protection and allocate those resources in a bipartisan vote that same day.”

“Politicizing” the assassination?

If what happened in Palm Beach was indeed an assassination, how will this affect Mr Trump's image ahead of the election, and how will rival Democrats take the story?

In mid-July, when a bullet grazed Mr. Trump's head in Pennsylvania, many people thought the election was over. presidential election America 2024 may be over. Mr. Trump used that near-death experience to send a strong message about his “no-backdown” image, and now his supporters are continuing to use the Palm Beach assassination plot to do the same.

In an email linked to a campaign website, Mr. Trump wrote: “Nothing can hold me back. I will never surrender!”

Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the November election, was quick to condemn the assassination attempt. But in some ways, Harris has more reason to not want such an assassination plot to happen now.

The Democratic candidate who was just praised by the press for his "victory" over Mr. Trump in the debate, now has to give the public attention back to his opponent.

Since 2016, observers have noted that Trump has become more visible and attractive after shootings and violence. Some Harris supporters or Trump detractors understand how Trump and the Republican Party could exploit this latest incident.

In an analysis on September 16, CNN said that the Palm Beach incident will have the potential to push political violence in the US even higher, depending on... Mr. Trump's reaction.

According to the station, Mr. Trump appeared to be more “restrained” after surviving the assassination in Pennsylvania, but also “returned to his usual bluster” and “his rhetoric became even more extreme.” In other words, CNN was concerned that Mr. Trump would further divide the country if he tried to focus on the assassination and “politicize” it.

Is this a victim-blaming dissection? In fact, CNN itself hedged its bets in the article by asserting that there is no legitimate reason for a democracy to try to silence a political figure through violence. But either way, the 2024 election in the US is rife with hate.