'Zealous self-belief': How the 2024 assassination attempt made Trump 'reckless'
FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump is assisted by guards during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the dramatic assassination attempt targeting President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
In an article published Sunday, the Guardian noted that in the aftermath, Trump’s survival was hailed by his staunchest supporters as a sign of divine protection and the incident has shaped how he is handling affairs during his second presidential term.
"He has governed with a zealous self-belief that earns comparisons with authoritarians from history," the report noted.
In his January inaugural address, Trump claimed, “I was saved by God to make America great again,” and since then he has led with a bold, almost militant conviction that critics argue mirrors authoritarian tendencies, the piece observes.
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It was Trump’s reaction to the attack that turned the moment into legend: standing up, pumping his fist, and imploring the crowd to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” — an image that captured global attention and now is emblazoned on Make America Great Again (MAGA) memorabilia and displayed in the West Wing.
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told the Guardian: “He showed courage and determination… His response was to be the medieval chieftain who was rallying his troops… It was incredibly moving.”
At the Republican convention held a few days later, speakers said God saved Trump so that he could continue his mission.
Journalist Chris Whipple contrasted Trump’s defiant recovery with Biden’s decline in public confidence.
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He told the Guardian: “To this day the true believers think this was God’s plan and maybe – without playing armchair psychologist – it’s contributed to a kind of fearlessness in Trump that I’m not sure we saw in the first term. Some might say recklessness. It changed Trump. It changed the country."
