Assassination Attempt: a turning point in Trump's bid for victory

While nobody ever wants to get shot, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on July 13 may have been just what the Trump presidential campaign needed. It could even be just what he needed to tip the scales and guarantee him a win in November.

The shots fired at the former president at the Pennsylvania rally have effectively strengthened the image that Donald Trump has been trying to present: that he is a brave martyr fighting for Republicans who the left wants to take down.

Trump has repeatedly talked about the supposed "witch-hunt" headed by the Democrats against him. More than once, he has claimed that the lefties and Biden's government are out to get him, trying to get him behind bars and claiming that the Dems stole the 2020 election.

After the assassination attempt, Donald Trump can now say they've even tried to kill him, and the MAGA masses will undoubtedly double down on their undying devotion to their leader and hero.

In a piece written by Andrew Prokop for Vox, the writer highlights that for much of the past year, the MAGA base wasn't as active or organized as they were before the 2020 elections.

In addition, conservative news sites weren't seeing nearly as much traffic as they did in 2020, and small-donor fundraising was dismal.

However, the tides began to change after Trump was found guilty in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial on May 30. Trump's rhetoric about the witch-hunt seemed much more realistic to his supporters, and their support via donations came rolling in.

According to The Washington Post, "The Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and an allied super PAC raised more than $170 million in May," effectively removing any economic advantage the Biden campaign had.

It is not far-fetched to posit that this assassination attempt against Trump may be the final nail in Biden's political coffin.

Seeing Donald Trump, with blood running down his face after nearly taking a bullet to the head, and raising his fist and shouting "Fight!" was undoubtedly a powerful moment for the MAGA crowd. The most likely outcome is that they will rally around their leader like never before and make sure to vote for Trump in November.

Furthermore, many of Donald Trump's biggest fans also LOVE conspiracy theories. And the wild ideas and conspiracies about what happened at the Pennsylvania rally are already rife on social media. For many MAGA supporters, this is proof that the Democrats are really out to get Donald.

As reported by the BBC, the social media platform 'X,' formerly known as Twitter, was rife with tweets from the far right proclaiming that the CIA was behind the shooting and was in cahoots with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Pence. And, of course, there are plenty of references to all their favorite QAnon theories.

As Andrew Prokop points out in his article for Vox, the Donald Trump shooting may also cause low-trust voters who had no real political affiliation to support Trump.

Eric Levitz, another Vox writer, argues that there is a significant trend in American politics in which "voters with low levels of trust in society and the political system are shifting rightward."

History has shown that being shot at and surviving does often indeed increase support and sympathy for politicians. Just take the case of the attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981 as an example.

According to Gallup polls, President Reagan, who suffered injuries far worse than Trump's, saw his approval rating increase from 60 to 68% thanks to the attempt on his life.

Following Joseph Biden's embarrassing debate performance, the intense scrutiny about his ability to continue to fulfill his presidential duties at 81 years old, and a lot of humiliating gaffes as of late, it doesn't look like Biden stands much of a chance against Trump.

The attempt on Donald Trump's life will undoubtedly boost his campaign and makes him look like a strong fighter. There are still a little over four months until the elections and anything could happen, but right now it certainly looks like Donald Trump will be returning to the White House.

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