‘Who Told Him To Pump His Fists Twice?’: Pundits Debate Impact of Trump Shooting on Election
At issue is whether sympathy over rally violence tips vote towards the Republican
Two well-known political commentators — both critics of Donald Trump — thrashed out the potential political fallout from the shooting at the former president’s rally Saturday in Pennsylvania.
While one — prominent one-time Republican strategist Steve Schmidt — predicted that the attack will throw the presidential election to Trump, author and intelligence expert Malcolm Nance recoiled at that possiblity.
Federal law enforcement authorities have identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa, as the gunman in what they have officially termed as an assassination attempt of the former president.
Crooks was killed by law enforcement officials moments after he opened fire.
The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee was injured but said to be “fine,” following the attack.
Schmidt, a veteran of campaigns for such Republicans as President George W Bush, California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican presidential nominee John McCain, took to social media in the aftermath of the Trump shooting to forecast his view of what the events will mean to the election.
“The political consequences of this assassination attempt will be immense, and they will benefit Donald Trump, who just responded to being shot in the exact same way that Teddy Roosevelt did,” posted Schmidt, who is outspoken against Trump.
A gunman attempted to assassinate former president Theodore Roosevelt during his 1912 campaign but refused to yield after being shot, going so far as to finish his speech before seeking medical treatment.
But Nance (no relation) forcefully rejected the suggestion that voters will flock to Trump due to the Pennsylvania shooting.
“Bullshit. No one will rover over and surrender America to a dictator [because] of the actions of a crazy person. Who told him to pump his fists twice?” Nance asked, referring to Trump’s defiant look before being led from the stage. “Fuck that shit. There is a fight for what America will be and I’m not surrendering it to a fascist.
“All the facts must be known. #Kristalnicht happened too,” he added, using a hashtag denoting an historical analogy to Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. This was violence carried out overnight in November 1938 against Jews in Nazi Germany after the assassination of a German diplomat. “Beware of what could come next,” Nance added.
Trump’s opponent, President Biden, has condemned the attack.
Please support our work…
Please subscribe…