Donald Trump was standing with his fist up, his face marred by blood, and the American flag waving in the wind behind him.
The former president exclaimed, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as some of the followers, who had just a moment earlier expressed dread for their lives, started applauding.
The carnage in Pennsylvania will pierce the surface of protection surrounding the top echelons of presidential politics, piercing the armor of bulletproof limousines, magnetic screening, and heavily armed Secret Service operatives. The violence that can break out in regular American life is not something that even previous presidents are immune to.
In addition, it was a momentous occasion in the history of American politics, one that will undoubtedly be reenacted in still images, testimonials, and video clips during this presidential campaign and future ones.
On Sunday night, President Joe Biden urged Americans to temper political discourse in an unusual speech from the Oval Office.
“[It] must never be a battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field,” he stated. “No matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”
