I was at The Shakespeare’s Head in Holborn when I found out. A typical Wetherspoon, with over lit rooms and underpriced drinks, my friend and I were talking rot when the news came through.
We weren’t the only one. The shot echoed around the round; and regardless of whether you subscribed to the Daily Socialist or Breitbart+, very quickly the news came through: Donald Trump, TV Star, Felon, ex-President and likely future president, had been shot.
It all happened quickly. Bullets fly fast, so the time between pulling the trigger to all out chaos was a mere few seconds. The effects will last for years.
A few points:
The loonies and the bots are out at it. The worst possible takes are quickly gathering steam, including how it had been faked to garner the sympathy vote, how the shooter was a Republican, a Democrat, a CIA operative, or all three. Some people are aggrieved the shooter missed, others think it was deliberate. Due to echo chambers, bots, and the nature of virality, all these takes are garbage.
Here is one sane person’s take on it. For context, as a non-citizen, I can’t vote, but given the chance, I wouldn’t vote for either major candidate. I believe Donald Trump will win, and that while I’m not a fan, it won’t be the end of the world, and some things might be better whereas something’s might get worse. The man clearly has some clear character and moral flaws, and his policy decisions have occasionally been poor. At the same time, some of his policies, particularly in foreign affairs, were of unusually high quality.
At the end of the day, my rule is simple and consistent: I support the President. It’s a tough job, and I’m rooting for whoever that person is to a great job.
With that out of the way, here are the hot takes.
I’m glad he didn’t die. Being flat out murdered is a terrible thing, and political assassinations are not a pathway to peace and prosperity.
Donald Trump isn’t Hitler. It isn’t the moral thing to blast his brains out because you fear his potential threat. We lived through one Trump presidency, we can live through another. Most of your outcomes in life are self-determined.
The man is a pro. The image of him shouting fight, while blood streams down his face, has in my eyes sealed the election. It’s a powerful and provocative image that will projects strength. Compared to “Sleepy” Joe, it’s game over.
A lot of people are accusing the SS of doing a bad job. Perhaps. The shot shouldn’t have happened, but when it did, they sprung into action. It was like the movies.
We all missed a bullet last night. There could have been a very real chance that the leading candidate for the presidency could be dead right now; and a non-zero chance BOTH candidates could be due to Biden’s advanced age. That would have been very, VERY bad.
As always, we live in interesting times.