Will the Trump ‘assassination try’ have an effect on the election consequence – ballot
It’s just 64 days since since Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt – and he now appears to have been targeted again.
The ex-president is ‘safe and well’ after gunshots were fired near his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, with suspect Ryan Wesley Routh later arrested after fleeing in an SUV. With the race for the presidency tightening between Trump and Kamala Harris all the time, it’s clear the Republican’s campaign team more than recognises the political advantage this latest incident might offer.
Sky News reported that messages were sent to supporters with a link to donate just hours after shots were fired on the golf course. The first one read: “I am safe and well”, with another declaring: “My resolve is stronger after another attempt on my life!”
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With just seven weeks to go before the US election, we’re asking if you think the Trump shootings will affect how people vote? Following the initial shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, the iconic image of a defiant Trump – with his fist raised and ear bloodied – painted him as a defiant figure, contrasting sharply with the struggling Joe Biden. In the aftermath, he surged ahead of President Biden in all seven key swing states, leading some to believe that this powerful image of resilience had secured him the election.
Mirror readers were certain of his return, back in July. In our poll Do you think Trump will make it back into the White House? A sizeable 800 of you said yes, while 200 said no.
But the race has shifted rather considerably since then. Kamala Harris has closed the polling gap and even taken the lead in some crucial states. The July assassination attempt is rarely mentioned now – it wasn’t a focus in their recent debate – and it doesn’t seem to play a major role in the current campaign dynamics.
History also tells us that an assassination attempt doesn’t necessarily guarantee a lasting political boost. For instance Gerald Ford -who was targeted by two would-be assassins within just over a fortnight in 1975 – saw a brief rise in popularity after vowing to continue appearing in public. Nevertheless, his approval rating eventually fell below pre-attack levels, and he lost his re-election bid the following year.
