Is America Ready For What May Come Next?

What’s that old expression? If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.

I thought of that after a friend texted about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump when he added, “Crazy times.” Whenever someone says we’re living in crazy times, I tell them, “Yeah? Just wait.”

The narrative of the 2024 presidential campaign changed dramatically Saturday after a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. Before, coverage was entirely focused on President Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office. Now, the focus is on Trump, framing him as a victim and martyr, which will almost certainly galvanize his base, likely elicit sympathy from undecided voters and become a feature theme for Republicans at their national convention.

Trump has long positioned himself as the candidate of grievance and retribution, appealing to voters who feel disenfranchised or targeted by the political establishment. Saturday’s incident reinforces that narrative. He can now claim literally to have been attacked, “just like you,” he might say in his nomination acceptance speech Thursday.

The shooter has been identified, though despite whatever authorities may uncover in an ongoing investigation, we may never know for sure who he was or why he did what he did, nor believe what we might hear about him. Conspiracy theories already abound.

Trump is OK (he played golf the next day). Biden condemned the assassination attempt and called for unity (as did Trump in a social media post on Sunday).

Regardless of your politics or any feelings one might have about Donald Trump, any attempt to resolve an election through violence is entirely antithetical to the nation’s