If President Biden’s campaign looked in real danger last week, the bullets fired at Donald Trump at the weekend have probably finished it.
Within hours of the attack, his team had pictures of their man, fist clenched, bloodied but unbowed. The Democrats must be in turmoil.
Whatever led to a registered Republican opening fire on his party’s choice for president at a rally in Pennsylvania may never become clear.
But Trump supporters are already blaming the Democrats because of their “toxic”campaigning even though violence of language has been more a feature of Trump and his team. Let’s not forget it was his fans that staged the insurrection at the Capitol.
But what is certain is that there won’t be any loud voices calling for better controls on gun ownership. Don’t forget it was the Republicans who refused to support the renewal of Bill Clinton’s ban on assault weapons.
Whatever happens next, the Democrats are facing an uphill struggle, and it’s mostly their own fault.
When Biden criticised the craven Supreme Court’s decision to allow Donald Trump limited immunity from prosecution, he said: “Nobody is above the law. There are no kings in America.”
Yet now, facing a growing number of calls by friends and supporters to stand aside, Joe is said to only listen to his wife and family, insisting he is the only one who can win, despite his obvious, and increasing, frailty. Not so much a king, as an emperor – with no clothes.
He points to his record in office, improving the economy, seeing job growth hit records not seen since the 1960s, steadying efforts on climate change and strengthening Nato, following the threats of his predecessor.
But voters don’t see it. They can’t unsee the image of a doddery old man, slipping over his words, calling Ukraine’s President Zelensky “Putin” by mistake and referring to “vice-president Trump”.
Anyone who has listened to the rantings of Trump in full flow will know he sounds completely deranged at times. After one rambling speech, attacking environmental policies to save water, he riffed on about washing machines and dishwashers, how much water he needed in the shower for his “luxuriant hair” and the solution to water shortages was rain: “And they gotta lotta rain in some places.”
It sounded so incoherent that Fox News, which was covering it live, cut back to the studio and a stunned looking host, who immediately went to a commercial break to give them time to try to make sense of it.
Trump even ranted about energy efficient light-bulbs, promising to bring back the old type, because the new ones “make you look orange.” Seriously? But who’s going to notice that now, when their “hero” is seen to face down an assassin’s bullet?
Four years ago, Biden should have been held to his promise that he would be a one-term president, who would bring stability after the Trump years, then allow a younger person take the reins in 2024.
It should not be down to the vanity of one man to oppose a convicted felon for the most important job in the western world.
Four years ago, Biden should have been held to his promise that he would be a one-term president, who would bring stability after the Trump years, then allow a younger person take the reins in 2024
It may be already too late for his VP, Kamala Harris, to overtake Trump in the polls, especially after the shooting.
Latent misogyny may well be too endemic in US society to prevent a woman reaching the White House. But Hillary very nearly did it and a Black president was also unthinkable at one stage.
It’s a pity the United States doesn’t have the equivalent of the “men in grey suits” that the Tory party had to deploy to get rid of Boris Johnson.
It’s been rumoured that Clooney’s op-ed in the New York Times, calling on Biden to step down, was in fact written by former Obama aides. The two men had a famously close relationship when Biden was Obama’s VP. Maybe it’s long overdue that Barack has a word in his ear.
