Trump rally shooting sends shockwave through GOP
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Former President Trump is rushed off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.
After two weeks on the political sidelines amid Democratic panic over President Biden's candidacy, Republicans were thrust back into the spotlight on Saturday when former President Trump was shot in the ear.
Zoom in: The incident has made a party already bullish about its chances in November even more confident going into next week's Republican National Convention.
- "You're looking at the next president of the United States and thank God it's Donald Trump," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told Axios.
- The shooting even seems to have galvanized a chronically fractured GOP around its often polarizing nominee, with one centrist House Republican telling Axios: "In this - I think we rally behind President Trump."
Driving the news: Shots rang out at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, with Secret Service agents quickly shielding Trump. The ex-president emerged with blood streaming down the side of his head.
- Trump pushed through his security detail as they tried to rush him off the stage and held up a fist to a roaring crowd – an image that Republicans have rapidly adopted as a symbol of strength and perseverance.
- In a message to supporters later on Saturday, Trump said he 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 added.
State of play: The shooting thrust Republicans back into the front lines of national politics, a position some quickly embraced.
- Many House Republicans, including some in swing districts, posted photos of Trump with his fist raised and blood spattered across his face.
- "I have no doubt that this cowardly attempt to assassinate our nominee will further galvanize the American people in support of Donald J. Trump," Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said in a post on X.
Between the lines: Some Republicans went after Democrats in response to the shooting, including attacking a Democratic bill introduced in April to restrict Secret Service protection for convicted felons.
- Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), in a post on X, called for Biden to be charged for "inciting an assassination" for reportedly saying in a private call "we're done talking about the debate, it's time to put Trump in a bullseye."
- In addition to joining lawmakers and other political figures in both parties in condemning the shooting, Biden called Trump on Saturday night, according to the White House.
The other side: Several House Democrats expressed to Axios in the immediate aftermath of the shooting that it will almost certainly benefit Republicans politically, at least in the near-term.
- But one House Democrat told Axios they "could see it going the other way a little bit," calling the shooting a "change in the news cycle" from Democrats' woes around Biden.
What's next: The Republican-led House plans to hold an investigation into the shooting, with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) requesting Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appear for a July 22 hearing.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the House will also seek testimony from FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials.
