Former President Trump and the United States

Contact Your Elected Officials

Both Escaped the Worst

by F. Andrew Wolf, Jr.

July 13, 2024 is not a date many will soon forget in America. Former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassinโ€™s bullet. Yet, this date will also resonate in the consciousness of Americans for another reason.

Former President Trump was not the only one to narrowly escape the worst. That is potentially true for the United States as well.

What if the worst had happened? What would the repercussions have been, otherwise?

Most Americans would recognize โ€œFort Sumter,โ€ as the place where in 1861 the South fired on the North to begin the Civil War. At the warโ€™s end at least three-quarters of a million Americans (excluding civilians) were dead โ€“ about 2% of the then US population.

The small community of Butler, Pennsylvania with less than 14,000 inhabitants, may just have missed its chance to acquire a similar dark place in history.  It was during a campaign rally on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show โ€“ an amusement park โ€“ that former and quite possibly future American president Donald Trump escaped death by, quite literally, inches.

Would-be presidential assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks unleashed several rounds from his weapon โ€“ one of which tore through Trumpโ€™s right ear. Several others were severely injured and in one case killed.

Crooks, subsequently killed by security forces,ย  obtained unbelievable proximity to the former president. Positioned atop the roof of a building, he was a mere 120 to 150 meters away

from where Trump was speaking on a raised stage.

That the president survived the attempt is remarkable to say the least. And from this point on, the stories, theories and half truths about what really happened, who was involved and was there any money and power behind it will abound.  And this brings us to the other narrow escape โ€“ that of the United States.

It was not only Trump who had a very lucky escape in Butler. The United States, itself, avoided what might have been a terribly destructive consequence had the worst occurred. Consider for a moment, what would America look like today, if Trump had not survived?

Initially, it is fair to assume, there would be a period of shock in America. Yet, while many Americans would be genuinely stunned and sincerely aggrieved. There are others who would respond otherwise โ€“ especially those who have consistently demonized Trump as well as his supporters. Put simply, if Trump had not been as fortunate, Americaโ€™s political polarization would not have given way to some patriotic plea for harmony. The polarization is too fervent โ€“ it is too clearly defined.

Where would such an escalation of polarization lead? Consider some recent, well-established findings. A major survey and study by a group of political scientists โ€“ published in 2022 under the title โ€œViews of American Democracy and Society and Support for Political Violenceโ€ found that 50% of Americans agree to some extent with the statement that โ€œin the next few years, there could be civil war in the United States.โ€

The โ€Viewsโ€ study showed that 36% of the respondents โ€“ 56% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats โ€“ agreed that โ€the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it;โ€ while 18% found that โ€because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.โ€

We will never know, of course, what exactly would have happened if Donald Trump had been assassinsted. But it would be irresponsible to discount the possibility that such an assassination, in a country as politically polarized as the US, could have manifested in significant displays of extremist behavior.

Conspiracy theorists and many experts on โ€œcivil warโ€ will contend that the assassination of the former president (beloved by so many of his supporters) could have played a role in America sliding into civil war โ€“ again. This writer thinks not.

Yes, there are dire prophecies suggesting the worst, as we saw earlier, buttressed to some extent by public opinion.

Irrespective of the โ€œexpert opinions,โ€ this country has a ways to go before we shutter ourselves in our homes. Most Americans still share a fundamental respect for rule of law and institutions, a respect nurtured over 200 years of history. The vast majority of Americans are not on the violent fringes; rather, they live their lives and raise their children believing in the basic expectations (whether that occurs or not)

and benefits (whether they eventuate or not) of democratic society.

Moreover, Americans will neither forget the legacy of a hard earned freedom we enjoy (including the right to rebel) nor collapse the American experiment (as irresponsible and as corrupt as its system of government has become). Civil war will not occur even with the assassination of a president (even one as popular with his constituents as Trump).  Will there be conflict and more violent incidents ahead? Yes, probably. Sustained warfare or guerrilla insurrection? Not yet.

But equally true is that this is no time for complacency, either. My concern is that our political system no longer functions. Government has become thwarted through its own selfishness, incapable of pursuing the common good and implacably spiteful.

The process of governing has deteriorated such that it encourages neither considered thought nor a willingness to work together; rather, prevailing over one’s enemies is rewarded โ€“ its what counts today in government.

This manifests enormous resentment and frustration in the American voter. If working within the system does not improve one’s plight, Americans will at some point reject the system. If meaningful, tangible results for the good are not forthcoming from elected officials, Americans will lose faith in the ballot box. And once they feel beguiled and no longer valued by Washington, anger and disillusionment will occur. Institutions will not be valued because there will be no confidence in them. Americans can at that point turn to alternatives for solutions and that can include demagogues. It is an ill functioning government โ€“ not an assassination โ€“ that we should fear.

With that eventuation โ€“ all bets are off. Anything could and might very well occurโ€ฆincluding civil war โ€“ perhaps, God forbid, even the end of the American experiment.

F. Andrew Wolf, Jr.
F. Andrew Wolf, Jr.
F. Andrew Wolf, Jr. is a retired USAF Lt. Col. and retired university professor of the Humanities, Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy. His education includes a PhD in philosophy from Univ. of Wales, two masters degrees (MTh-Texas Christian Univ.), (MA-Univ. South Africa) and an abiding passion for what is in America's best interest.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another โ€œ1-in-100 yearsโ€ weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated โ€œWeather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texasโ€.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted โ€œindependence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

โ€œThe Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Trial Begins Over Trump Adminโ€™s Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students

A trial over President Trumpโ€™s attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists began on July 7 with attorneys debating free speech.

Man Killed After Opening Fire at Border Patrol Facility in Texas

27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed after opening fire outside Border Patrol facility in McAllen, TX, prompting shootout with feds and local police.

California Rejects Federal Push to End Transgender Participation in School Sports

CA education officials are refusing to end policies allowing transgender students to participate in school sports consistent with their gender identities.

Amazon Prime Day Set to Lift US Online Sales by $23.8 Billion

Online spending in the United States is expected to surge by $23.8 billion during Amazonโ€™s expanded Prime Day event from July 8 to July 11.

Trump to Extend Tariff Deadline to Aug. 1, Keep Rates at 10 Percent During Talks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will sign the order to move the deadline to Aug. 1 from its current date of July 9.

DOJ, FBI Find Epstein Committed Suicide, Had No โ€˜Client Listโ€™

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and had no โ€œclient list,โ€ according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

National Weather Service Fully Staffed During Deadly Texas Flooding: White House

White House press sec. Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the National Weather Service had a full staff on hand to handle the Central Texas flooding.

US Removes Terrorist Designation for Al Qaeda Affiliate in Syria

The State Department has removed from its list of foreign terrorist organizations Al Qaedaโ€™s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
spot_img

Related Articles