Trump is a Victim of His Own Making
The assault on Trump is a stark reminder of what happens in a country where it’s easier to get a gun than it is to get food stamps.
Like you, I had far better plans this weekend than watching Lindsey Graham ugly cry "I love you" to Donald Trump on national television, but alas, here we are, living inside the most dramatic season finale of America yet.
If you don’t know that someone tried to kill Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, you’re either on Love Island (those lucky phoneless bastards) or you’ve already thrown your laptop into the ocean—something I’ve been tempted to do every single morning for the last eight years.
Now I won’t spend any time telling you that I condemn violence, because you don’t tell people you’re against violence, you show them. I’ve written extensively about how guns are dangerous and why they pose an existential threat to all Americans, and I’ve done so for more than a decade. I’ve pressed politicians on the issue and publicly called for dismantling the NRA for interfering with our elections. No one should be getting shot anywhere, period. The assault on Trump is a stark reminder of what happens in a country where it’s easier to get a gun than it is to get food stamps. It’s just wrong.
Pro-gun Republicans on the other hand, are condemning the very violence that they themselves enabled. For years, they’ve been maintaining the system that made it possible for the registered-Republican who shot at Trump, to openly carry a semiautomatic AR-style rifle, and aim it at a public official. Just look at Speaker Mike Johnson who is outraged by the shooting, but has long resisted gun control efforts, including a law enacted last year that enhanced criminal background checks for individuals under 21. He called the law “unconstitutional.” Even Trump himself, spent a large portion of his time in office, passing laws to make it easier for any random dude to get a gun and wield it against whomever he wants. Trump’s presidency made what happened yesterday, far more possible and probable.
Trump is indeed a victim—but he’s a victim of his own making and of a system he himself created. He stumbled on a banana peel of his own design, a misstep crafted by his own hand.
Here’s just a few ways that Trump made the kind of weapon that he was shot with, more easily available:
Executive Actions: Trump signed a resolution in 2017 that revoked an Obama-era regulation aimed at preventing mentally disturbed individuals from purchasing firearms. This action weakened background checks.
Support for Concealed Carry Reciprocity: Trump endorsed legislation that would allow individuals with concealed carry permits to carry firearms across state lines.
School Shootings: Trump proposed arming teachers as a solution to school shootings and incentivizing them to open and carry with bonuses.
While Trump is portraying himself as a victim, he’s also claiming to be the hero. I’ve covered Trump for almost a decade, and I can tell you that one of the oldest tricks in his playbook is taking credit for solving problems that he himself creates. It happened when he congratulated himself for ending family separation at the border, despite it being his own policy. It also occurred this morning when he opined about the importance of “unity” after making divisive language the cornerstone of his presidency.
If Trump sounds a lot like a progressive right now, that’s because he’s cosplaying as one. He’s stealing all our best lines, acting as if he’s not a victim of the world he helped shape. Trump's sudden advocacy against violent rhetoric—something he has wielded since the beginning of his political career—underscores the strange inversion of roles we are witnessing. As Naomi Klein mentioned when she visited Airplane Mode, we are living in a mirror world. Figures like Trump get the feelings right but the facts wrong. Unfortunately, the truth is often lost on his supporters.
But while everyone is focussed on Trump’s ear being grazed by a bullet (or possibly hit by the glass from his teleprompter), the 50-year-old former firefighter who died trying to protect his family from the bullets will be forgotten. While Trump’s pose for the camera will be in our children’s history books, the devoted father who lost his life will be nothing but a footnote. It’s a tragic metaphor for the toxic relationship Trump has with his own supporters. There’s something almost shakespearian about it. Trump, a man who has access to the best security and healthcare in the world, was immediately escorted to a safe and secure location in an armed vehicle, while his supporters were left with an active shooter to pick up the pieces and tend to the injured. Trump fled the scene, leaving his wounded supporters scrambling, like a king who issues decrees from the safety of his fortress while his loyal subjects bear the brunt of the battle.
Trump fled the scene, leaving his wounded supporters scrambling, like a king who issues decrees from the safety of his fortress while his loyal subjects bear the brunt of the battle.
While Trump claims to be both the hero and the victim, the truth is that he will never be impacted by his own perilous policies. His wealth and status protect him from everything, including accountability for his actions. While hundreds of his supporters went to jail for storming the Capitol, he—the man who incited them—has been shielded from responsibility. In fact, thanks to his Supreme Court, if he wins this election, he might never face criminal prosecution for anything, possibly ever again. Trump's following operates like a pyramid scheme: everyone around him loses, yet he always finds a way to come out on top.
While Trump’s pathetic pose for the camera will be in our children’s history books, the devoted father who lost his life will be nothing but a footnote.
So while I try to keep things positive here at Airplane Mode, there’s no denying that we are living through a somber time in American history. And while Republicans try to scapegoat progressives (who are notoriously anti-gun) for gun violence, I believe that many Americans will see through this projection. Sure, Trump’s attack will energize his base, but the truth is they were already pretty fired up. The people who will determine this election are the independents and undecided voters who tend to dislike the chaos that seems to follow Trump. There’s a strong chance that the shooting will only sway them further away from the turmoil and make them realize that Trump is the common denominator.
Trump is like that girl who swears she hates drama, yet somehow, she's always the one landing at the center of it. But just like that girl, whose true colors eventually become clear, voters are starting to see through Trump's facade and recognize the chaos he perpetuates. There is hope that as more people see him for who he truly is, they will choose stability and integrity over division and deceit.
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how do you think this will impact the race?
Trump is reaping what he's been sowing for years. We live in the Sierra foothills in California, where for months a sign at the end of a private driveway proclaims, "Trump or Death." We see bumper stickers on big alt-flag waving trucks: Let's Go Brandon, F*ck Biden, God Guns Trump, etc. We see the mainstream media calling him a populist and repeating the tropes of his supporters in their headlines-- "we're all MAGA now." This is his wet dream come true. The sympathy factor alone will be a huge bump for him in the polls.