Where are we headed? This week brings the Republican convention, where Trump and his party will obviously do all they can to use this event to great political advantage. The photo taken right after the shooting, that looks up at Trump with a bloodied ear as he raises his fist with an American flag behind him, fluttering against a luscious blue sky, is already iconic in MAGA world and to some extent beyond. We’ll see it 10,000 times this week.
The full extent of the political fallout is impossible to contemplate until we know more about the shooter’s intentions. If this was a John Hinckley type situation (he shot Ronald Reagan in the hopes of impressing Jodie Foster), then the political impact may not be great. But if it turns out he was politically motivated, then Trump will make the convention, and the election, almost entirely about his hateful and violent opponents, with the frequent reminder of Joe Biden’s age, assuming Biden stays in the race.
Speaking of which—this probably makes that more likely, doesn’t it? The media’s attention turns now entirely to Trump. For better than two weeks, since June 27, Biden has been the story, and Trump was laying low. Now, Trump will be the only story. The Biden drama is completely pushed out of the news cycle, and whatever momentum the dump Biden movement had will likely fizzle.
