Two days before the opening of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump shocked the nation. The picture of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist in the air as Secret Service agents rush him off the stage will be indelibly burned into American minds for a very long time.
President Trump’s comments on Truth Social the evening of the shooting were calm and thoughtful, thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement, and extending condolences to the families of a rally attendee who was killed and the others who were seriously injured.
In a chilling account he wrote, "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin." He had nothing else to say except for a heartfelt, "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
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I spoke to President Trump on the phone on Sunday, and he told me that bringing the country together was a big part of the message he wanted to deliver now. He mentioned throwing out "a tough speech on Democrats," reworking it to fit his new intention.
The last time we faced such a terrifying picture was in 1981, when a gunman tried to assassinate President Reagan. Jerry Parr, the Secret Service agent who shoved Reagan into the car to get him out of danger before he even knew he was injured, once said that being president is dangerous. That would include former presidents. But does it have to be that way?
What do we do with our sense of horror? A lesson about that comes from our former first lady Melania Trump. By way of comparison with Mrs. Trump, I couldn’t help thinking about Jackie Kennedy in her blood-soaked pink suit the day JFK was assassinated some 60 years ago. Various people, including Lyndon Johnson, encouraged her to change into clean clothes, but she refused. She said, "Let them see what they’ve done!"
That anger and desire for retribution is a natural response, but I was struck by the way Mrs. Trump set a tone that was both deeply personal and healing for the nation.
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She began with a moving account of her horror and sorrow. "When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband…
"A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion—his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband's life—his human side—were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times."
But then Mrs. Trump pivoted to what we shared as human beings and as a people—and our joint obligation to rise above our political differences.
"Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment - until death - is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings…
"This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again."
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I applaud Mrs. Trump’s dignity and her sense of public responsibility. Many others from both sides of the political frontier have expressed a similar desire.
In a Saturday evening editorial, even as the assassination attempt was fresh and emotions were still raw, the Wall Street Journal posed the possibility that the incident could be "a redemptive political moment." While commending President Trump for his "fortitude," the Journal urged him to use the moment as a time to call for unity.
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"His opportunity now is to present himself as someone who can rise above the attack on his life and unite the country," the Journal wrote.
The editors also warned both parties to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. "Democracy won’t end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions."
This point was also expressed by former Attorney General Bill Barr who called upon Democrats to stop referring to President Trump as an existential threat to democracy—a claim he called "grossly irresponsible."
It was like a hard jolt to our public consciousness—a wakeup call that asked, "What are we doing here?"
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There has been so much vitriol and demonization in our public debate, and we may have reached a tipping point, when people are finally willing to rein it in. Many voices from both sides of the aisle are echoing that plea.
Speaking Saturday night, President Biden called the attack "sick," and stated, "There’s no place in America for this kind of violence."
He repeated that message Sunday afternoon, emphasizing, "Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is as important as that right now…We’ll debate and we’ll disagree, but we’re not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans."
President Trump sent a message on Truth Social after Biden’s comments, saying simply, "UNITE AMERICA."
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the shooting "a despicable attack on a peaceful rally," also stressing, "Violence has no place in our politics."
These calls for unity echo what I hear every week on my "Common Ground" podcast as I host public officials from both sides of the aisle respectfully debating their differences. But now we are all facing together the question: What would it mean to back up these calls for unity with real action—to make them more than a post-trauma response that pays lip service to the need to come together?
Is there a way to restore civility even as we fiercely debate different positions on the issues?
This is a critical moment when we have the choice to do that. As we move into the political convention period with the opening of the Republican Convention on Monday, we can all use that strong reality check from Melania Trump and heed her call to "ascend above the hate."
