Boomerang attack
We can think of it as a boomerang attack because, rejecting outright the action of this young man of 20 with a categorical and unmitigated condemnation, the eccentric character who intends to regain the White House chair is reaping what he has been sowing for too long. It is very dangerous, very worrying and absolutely unacceptable for violence to appear at any time in people's lives, but much less so in the political sphere where respect and tolerance for the ideas and positions of each of the adversaries is especially essential. And to emphasise adversaries, not enemies.
The red lines that should protect democracy, freedom, the rule of law and the welfare state that we Western liberal democracies have worked hard and sacrificed for with great effort and sacrifice are being crossed with too much impunity by authoritarian populists who seek power at any cost and fuel a polarisation that leads to violence that is unacceptable from any point of view.
The perpetrator of the attack, Thomas Matthew Crooks, using a semi-automatic rifle on the roof of a barn some 200 metres from the site of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was shot dead by members of the US secret service who will have to explain why such a serious security lapse occurred. It is true that experts in the security and protection of high-ranking officials explain that it is very difficult to prevent an attack if the perpetrator is willing to die after being discovered because he does not have a guaranteed escape, as has been the case here.
The list of attacks against presidents and high-ranking officials in the United States is too long throughout history, but not since 1981, when Republican Ronald Reagan was shot several times, has there been an assassination attempt of such magnitude. The question is, what now? It is somewhat astonishing and embarrassing that, given the gravity of the situation, Trump is trying to appear to be a hero, raising his fist and shouting: fight back, while security services are risking their lives to prevent further shots from being fired.
Trump's ability to turn complicated situations around is not surprising. Every time he leaves a courtroom with a conviction he manages to rise in the polls. No one doubts that this attempted attack, with a bullet grazing his right ear, blood on his face and shirt, is sadly going to give him a big boost in the election campaign. Or not. Joe Biden may well get the bullet, but he has called on Trump to strongly condemn this act of violence, which demonstrates the sickness that is America.