Loeffler: The Attempt On Trump’s Life Clarified the Stakes of This Election
The former president has long refused to surrender to the forces that would see him fail.
Guest post by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA). Originally published at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (July 15, 2024)
There is a famed moment from 1981, in the hours after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
As he was rushed into the operating room at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., with a life-threatening gunshot wound, he quipped to the surgeons: “Please tell me you’re all Republicans.” The solemn reply: “Today sir, we are all Republicans.”
Decades later, in the fog of the tragic attack in Pennsylvania, we must reflect as a nation. It was by God’s providence that former President Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt that brought him within millimeters of his life. In the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Clearly, there were security failures — and investigations will rightfully expose them — but we are grateful for those law enforcement officials who risked their lives to protect the former president and the crowd from further catastrophe.
Yet we have much to mourn. A heroic father lost his life. At least two more victims remain hospitalized. Just 114 days before an election, the United States witnessed its most significant act of political violence against a presidential candidate in more than 40 years. It was a shocking, sickening moment that will cause July 13 to be remembered as one of our darkest days.
But in the immediate aftermath, perhaps most striking is Trump’s sheer strength, courage and resolve.
Spared by God’s grace, bloodied and back on his feet moments after getting shot — with his fist punching defiantly toward heaven — Trump said to America: “Fight.” And, with his quintessential drive, he kept moving.
The audience erupted into chants of “USA, USA, USA.” The next day, the iconic photos appeared on the cover of every newspaper. It replaced Trump’s mug shot as the most consequential symbol of political persecution.
When those shots were fired, the stakes of this election came into sharp relief. They were the crescendo to the drumbeat of hoaxes, partisan prosecutions, raids, impeachments, indictments, convictions, slander and threats. Trump, fueled by love of country, has long refused to surrender to the forces that would see him fail. He risks defeat and worse — when he could be living a life of comfort, security, and privacy.
For years, the left has waged a war on Trump under the guise of saving “democracy.” Rather than running on a positive vision for the future, they exhort voters to view Trump as an existential threat to justify their relentless attacks. Whether trying to defame, bankrupt, imprison or villainize him, the goal was to protect their power — and to destroy him.
Almost two years ago, also in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden gave his hyperbolic, now famous “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” speech at Independence Hall.
“The Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump,” he said, shrouded in red lighting and flanked by two U.S. Marines. “That is a threat to this country.”
Last week, Biden told donors it was “time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye,” and Vice President Kamala Harris warned supporters that “Trump wants to turn our democracy into a dictatorship.” Still today, Biden’s campaign website calls Trump a “dangerous threat,” and the Democratic National Committee is running an ad in Georgia claiming Trump is the “ultimate threat to democracy.”
These are not isolated or unusual statements. They are some of the more restrained attacks against Trump. The media, quick to blame Trump for Jan. 6, 2021, has also fanned the flames of violence by ignoring or, worse, amplifying the anti-Trump rhetoric and tropes.
Trump and his family have withstood baseless, extralegal lawfare, egregious personal attacks and now an assassination attempt with courage, optimism and extraordinary determination. It is a testament to his love for our country that he remains committed to restoring it no matter the cost.
But, in America, the price should never be this high.
Even amid the great loss of this unprecedented attack, Trump still sees only the best in this nation. His belief that we can chart a path forward to a better America is backed up by a simple, one-page plan, free from divisive rhetoric and blame-game victimization. I encourage everyone to read both candidates’ policy pages on their respective websites. The contrast is stark.
We might not all be Republicans, even after these tragic events. But we are all blessed to be Americans who can decide to unite in the pursuit of a more perfect union. Now is the time to work together for healing and the restoration of the United States of America.
Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, is a former U.S. senator from Georgia, former Fortune 500 executive and professional sports team owner. She is the founder of Greater Georgia and RallyRight.
