Blood turns to martyrdom as Republicans rally around Trump

Donald Trump forged his political identity from multiple strains of white-hot emotional politics: The grievance and anger of his political base. The anxiety and uncertainty of a divided nation. And perhaps above all, his own aura of brazenness and raw strength.

That identity was on vivid display on a somber evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump emerged physically bloodied and politically triumphant from a shooting that ripped through the 2024 presidential campaign.

The shooting killed one member of the crowd and injured two others , officials said. Also dead was the gunman, who was described by the Secret Service as aiming at the stage.

The former president’s precise physical condition was still unknown when Republicans began sharing an Associated Press photograph of Trump — blood splattered on his right cheek — pumping his fist beneath an off-kilter American flag after gunshots singed the air. His political allies and admirers in the United States and abroad cheered for his resilience, while Democrats uniformly denounced the violence as un-American.

In the eyes of his political movement, this was a moment that showed Trump at his most defiant.

"President Trump was the epitome of courage under fire,” said Simone Ledeen, a former senior Trump Department of Defense official. “The iconic photos of him being beamed across the world show the true American spirit.”

It remains to be seen whether the shooting might shift the tenor of a presidential campaign defined by bitter attacks, mutual contempt between the candidates and broad public discontent with all their options. The country is so deeply polarized that other explosive events have barely shifted the polls.

But coming as Republicans prepare to gather in Milwaukee for their nominating convention, the shooting instantly seemed certain to define Trump’s image even more vividly in the eyes of his supporters.

“More than ever Donald Trump is America’s president,” Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, a top Trump ally who is slated to speak in primetime Tuesday from Milwaukee — and who himself weathered threats on his life and the lives of his daughters — told POLITICO. “I know he never backs down and I’m confident this will only embolden him to do even more to win and save America.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also scheduled to speak at the RNC, captured Trump’s political arc in terms that are likely to resonate — and echo — in Milwaukee: “First they sued him,” he said on X . “Then they prosecuted him. Then they tried to take him off the ballot. The only thing more tragic than what just happened is that, if we’re being honest, it wasn’t totally a shock.”

Democrats broadly condemned the attack. President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign paused all outbound communications and worked to pull down his television ads as quickly as possible.

But in parts of the country, the normal, humdrum activities of democracy continued. In Indiana, Democrats were tabulating votes at their state convention for statewide offices when the convention chair interrupted the proceedings: “Violence has no place in our democratic process and those who advocate for it might want to take a reflective look,” said Robin Winston, a former state party chair. “This is wrong.”

Former President Barack Obama said on X that “Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted on X , “This is not how we solve our differences,” while

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote : “Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable.”

For Republicans, the violent episode offered fresh cause to rally around their candidate. They seized on comments Biden made just days ago, when he said on a private donor call that T rump should be in the campaign’s “bullseye,” making the remark as he discussed moving on from his debate performance.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), on X shared the Biden quote and wrote that “Joe Biden sent the orders,” while Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) suggested “ an assassination attempt against President Trump ” could be linked to what Biden said.

Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the comment. Biden, speaking to reporters, called for unity and denounced political violence , saying, “Look, there’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick.”

Bill White, a Republican donor and longtime friend of Trump, told POLITICO that Biden “should be forced to resign immediately” because of his remarks Monday.

“He called for President Trump’s death by saying, ‘Put a bullseye on Donald Trump,’” White said.

White said Trump will almost certainly still appear on stage at next week’s GOP convention in Milwaukee, though security concerns must be addressed.

“One hundred percent,” White said of Trump still taking the stage at the convention. “He didn’t want to be taken off that stage. They had to take him off that stage because it’s a crime scene.

“When he left, he said ‘Fight, fight, fight.’ He could have said a whole bunch of other things, and the fact he’s telling people to fight means get out the vote for Donald Trump, and send Joe Biden packing.”

White wasn’t alone. “We all know President Trump is stronger than his enemies. Today he showed it,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a potential Trump vice presidential pick, wrote on X .

For his part, Trump’s initial tone was not as jubilant as some of his supporters’. In a post , he thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their response, extended condolences to the family of the person killed in the crowd and said it is “incredible that such an act can take place in our Country.”

“Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” Trump wrote. “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

Later in the evening, his campaign sent a fundraising email that didn't mention the shooting explicitly, saying, "I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!"

Already on Saturday, there seemed to be some concrete fallout in Trump’s favor. Billionaire Elon Musk appeared to use the moment to officially endorse the former president after Bloomberg reported earlier Saturday that he had donated to a pro-Trump super PAC.

Paul Helmke, the former president and CEO of the Brady Center/Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which gained prominence after press secretary Jim Brady suffered a bullet to the head during the 1981 Ronald Reagan assassination attempt, compared the moment to 1968.

"You really wondered, 'Will the country survive this?' and we did,” Helmke said. “But this year seems a lot like that year in terms of the polarization, the antipathy that people have toward one toward each other, the blatant calls for violence…”

He trailed off.

Matt Berg contributed to this report.