11:18am as I start to write this post.
It looks to me as though Trump got nicked in the ear, given his hand going up to his right ear fast before he ducks. I think the shooter was close.
I’m not surprised by this and although it’s been more talk on social media forums than any public commentator, more than a few people have been expecting an attempt on Trump’s life.
After all, if you constantly hammer the theme that he’s a “Threat to Democracy” and the next Hitler…. Well, isn’t any action acceptable to stop that?
BTW, He just won the 2024 Presidential election! Believe it or not I’ve made blunt criticisms of Trump and some of his policies in the past. But if his attitude in the face of all the lawfare thrown at him did not convince you that he’s a tough motherfucker, then his response in the seconds after being shot at certainly should.
And that photo? If you wanted THE campaign photo that would be it. Remind you of anything?
BBC interviews an eye witness. Many questions based on what he describes.
I’m adding the MSM category to this post because of the following…
No Minister 
I just said to a friend “that photo just won him the election”.
This event was forseeable, you tell people someone is the devil enough times and one of them is going to go get a rope.
Whether you like Obama or not this was exactly the right thing to say:
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” Obama posted on X. “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. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.”
What the fuck is wrong with David Farrar and his pathetic comment about Melania and swing states?!
What an absolute cretin. I apparently don’t despise the man enough.
He was probably watching CNN and took their instant take as gospel.
But yeah, I almost didn’t know what to say so kept it downlow with merely a question about how deep his TDS runs.
Yeah, I’ve been banned… again… 😆
Banned from kiwiblog?. meh, treat that as a badge of honour.
P.S. I haven’t been there for years.
Heh! Would you care to say it here?
Nothing too articulate I’m afraid, and nothing I wouldn’t have expected a ban from. But I didn’t expect such poorly judged words in the original post even from him. If he was actually important and said that, he’d be the one canceled by now.
It was such a crapshoot getting comments published there anyway. I only ever got about 50% of them through, the other half seemed to disappear simply because the Mods didn’t like what I said. I commented a few days ago that the Proud Boys were a terrorist group in NZ, but the PFLP weren’t, and it disappeared without trace. There is no logic in that place. It’s sad what Kiwiblog has turned into.
David Farrar is so deep in Trump hate its incredible. He views the Dems as the equivalent of national here in terms of politics i.e. soft Left.
He cant change his position on TDS and being jokey is his coping mechanism to excuse what has just happened.
DPF is as many have said often very Wet politically…
Wet?
Yeah, well look at PDF’s post this morning as an example, Damien Grant Sums Up Christopher Luxon.
Shame that post will be buried by this news. I might ask PDF to re-post tomorrow because it’s damned important to have these conversations now, rather in six or nine years like the Tories are now.
I’ve been reading and commenting on Kiwiblog for twenty years. In some ways, returning there time and again is acquiescence to the sunk cost fallacy: I’ve invested so much time and comments on the place that I didn’t want to acknowledge that 90% of what now gets posted there is just pure shite. Most people would be better off without it in their lives, except maybe David Garrett, whom it seems to keep occupied and out of trouble.
Seems to be the shooter…
https://x.com/Faytuks/status/1812266661866778786?
Someone took it literally…
https://x.com/SteveGuest/status/1812256617431535687?
This one is good
SPECIAL BULLETIN: America Teeters on the Abyss (substack.com)
Simplicius tracks the known details of the event and the absurd reaction of the MSM.
“Trump removed from stage after loud noises startles former president, crowd”
David Jackson, USA Today
These people are utter scum.
it seems that Stuff initially described it as violence at a Trump rally
No surprises there Nick.
How odd…
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1812278791105913068?
Today’s news has been very hard to process. Normally external news doesn’t affect me emotionally in any concrete way, but this hit hard, and in a mixture of ways. Anger, joy, relief, sorrow, fear. Trump was millimeters from death. I can only conclude that divine forces meant him to live. It’s a miracle he is still here and fighting. It’s a bit like (at the risk of sounding flippant) watching Kane Williamson being given out in the WTC Final, then surviving review. Millimeters involved there too, but the millimeters make all the difference.
I’m absolutely spooked. In some respects, it’s amazing that something like this didn’t happen sooner, but because it hadn’t, maybe people got complacent.
Make no mistake that many on the Left want us dead, and Trump would just have been a good start. I don’t know what one does with that information, but it’s good to have all doubt about it removed.
In my own life, I’ve always tried to adhere to the maxim that “Living well is the best revenge”. I hope the people of the United States live well after this, and we can start by making the man who lost his eartip today President again.
That photo is amazing btw. I want to order up a print of that photo, frame it, and put it in my new house in Texas.
It’s also literally what the US national anthem is about. After bombardment and drawing fire, is the flag still there? Does freedom still ring? Are the patriots still standing? Yes, by God, they are!
You may (or may not) enjoy this analysis of the artistic qualities that make it such a great photo. Praise for the experienced photographer (ironically NYT I think… NOPE, Associated Press, name of Evan Vucci) who applied a lifetime of experience in an instant.
Oh it is a classic painting by 7th Form Art History standards! I am surprised he didn’t mention the Pyramid structure present, which was a prominent feature of much Renaissance work, especially Da Vinci.
Heh! Perhaps someone should tell him that!
Yes, I did laugh a little at the pretentiousness of Art Theory applied to a photo.
But since he also thinks it’s great, I’m willing to let the victims of Tom Wolfe’s prose off this time.
I wasn’t being sarcastic though! I do really think the reason people love the photo is that it conforms to the dimensions and standards present in great art works. Especially the pyramid!