The Trump Card
Thoughts on the assassination attempt of President Donald J. Trump
How does one write responsibly about harrowing events, especially when they are the kind of events which are experienced collectively? That is the question that has been bouncing around in my brain since yesterday evening.
The assassination attempt of President Donald J. Trump is without question one of those events, the kind of moment for which much of the entire world pauses. A former (and likely future?) president of the United States was shot in broad daylight.
Yeah, I think that is worthy of a pause or two.
As such, let us take a moment to consider the aftermath of what has happened over the last 18 hours or so…
-- Before we do, for the sake of context we will first review what we know about the attempt itself…
At approximately 18:15 (6:15 PM) EDT, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a lone gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired several rounds at the stage where President Trump was giving a speech; one of the rounds struck the president in the upper part of his right ear, while three others struck attendees of the rally.
As of this writing one victim, a former fire chief named Corey Comperatore, has perished, while the status of the other two remains unclarified; the assailant is also dead, killed by Secret Service [SS] agents within seconds of the shooting.
After being shot Trump grabbed his ear, then took cover on the stage; SS agents immediately surrounded him. After a few seconds Trump stood, turned to the crowd with blood-splattered face, and defiantly raised his fist while shouting ‘Fight’ three times, letting attendees know he was okay. He was then escorted off stage, with SS agents attempting to cover him while he continued to pump his fist several times.
This is the what; now, the how, why, and what’s next…
-- There are many on ‘the Right’ (whatever that means these days) who are saying that the election was won yesterday… and I am having a hard time disagreeing with them. The live video, the iconic photos? As many on social media have been pointing out (even a few who hate Trump), what what shown was simply the most ‘gangsta’ visuals ever captured of any politician. Ever.
That noted, I would remind Trump supporters they should never underestimate their adversaries’ abilities to turn a situation to their advantage. We will know more how they will move forward over the next few days, but as Rahm Emanuel once infamously uttered, “Never let a good crisis go to waste’…
-- This was a catastrophic failure of the Secret Service, and agency director Kim Cheatle should not only be fired, but also thoroughly investigated. The operational particulars aside (you do not leave a roof 130-150 yards away from the subject you are protecting, with a clear line-of-sight on said-subject, unsecured), she has also failed provide additional security for the Republican nominee, despite repeated requests.
This is the kind of stuff that gets conspiracy theories started.
With that noted, we must acknowledge the bravery of the agents in Trump’s immediate sphere. They acted quickly, and shielded the president as best as anyone could in those circumstances. While there were certainly failures in leadership, those on the ground deserve praise and gratitude…
-- Speaking of ‘conspiracies,’ I have been seeing a lot of people - many of whom I respect - who believe that this was ‘staged’… to benefit President Trump. As I have recently articulated here on these pages, I put nothing past those in power; we saw evidence of the Circus with the recent ‘debate’ fiasco, so I completely understand the temptation to assume everything is just a manipulative psyop.
However, I just do not see it with this. Logistically speaking, Trump does not have the infrastructure in place to pull off THIS kind of false-flag operation, and his adversaries benefit not from elevating Trump’s status. Remember, they not only - virulently - HATE this man, they also - genuinely - FEAR his potential presidency. As such, I cannot visualize a scenario where a staged ‘assassination failure’ benefits - in any capacity - the Powers-That-Be.
Besides all of that? A person died and two others were injured, which means REAL bullets were fired… and one of those bullets struck Trump; if this was ‘staging,’ it is not exactly wise ‘staging.’ As such, until I see stronger evidence (which IS possible - I could be missing something), I am casting aside the notion that this was staged…
-- Can we pause to fully take this in. A former president, one running for a second chance at the White House, was literally millimeters away from being assassinated… in America. A slight head-turn not taken, and the conversation we are having this morning is very, VERY different.
We should all be thankful we are having this discussion instead…
-- Yes, the mainstream media [MSM] is complicit in what occurred yesterday; as Tulsi Gabbard aptly pointed out, you cannot repeatedly refer to a man as ‘Hitler’ (as the MSM has done), and not expect someone to act upon it.
Furthermore, they have been ratcheting up the tension in our nation for at least two decades (and continued to do so yesterday, with insufferably shameful coverage of the assassination attempt), so the MSM has most certainly played a part.
And they must be held accountable…
-- So what about the failed assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks? I don’t know. And none of us commoners really do yet, because it appears - at least in these early stages - that his entire Internet presence has been scrubbed. There are claims he was a registered Republican who also donated to a progressive organization (seriously?), but we can find no social media pages, no blogs or manifestos, no verified photos… as yet, nothing.
A 20 year-old malcontent, with zero Internet presence? Come on!
On Notes last night I mentioned - during the first press-conference held by law enforcement - that I thought they were deliberately stalling in releasing the shooter’s name, which normally suggests a cover-up is occurring.
I believe scrubbing a majority of someone’s Internet-life qualifies as a ‘cover-up’… no? I could wrong about this, of course, and more information may surface, but at the moment it certainly seems suspicious…
-- In that vein, there has also been speculation that Crooks is a fictional creation, and the man on the roof was actually a CIA operative whose death was faked. While the CIA does have a track record for political assassination (JFK, anyone?), that’s a rabbit-hole down which I am unwilling to travel at this time. Not to fall back on the whole ‘Too soon!’ meme, but I am hesitant to chase that particular white bunny.
Perhaps I am more cautious than some, but I am not interested in getting to something first; instead, I would rather focus on getting it right…
-- So what is to come? As I mentioned above, we shall see where things are going to go as they unfold; with that noted, the reactions by various Democrats will be most telling.
One thing about which I am fairly confident: If they back off demanding current President Joe Biden step down as the nominee, assume they have surrendered. After all, what occurred yesterday has elevated Trump to the status of ‘Legend’ in a lot of people’s minds, and it is possible those who are being considered as replacements on the ticket are now like, “Nah, I’m good.”
Remember, politicians do NOT like to lose, and if they decide after yesterday’s horrific attack - and the former president’s response to it - that there is no way to defeat Trump? They’ll back off, and allow Biden to be the sacrificial lamb.
Of course, this is all speculation; as I have said here multiple times, we’ll know more in the days and weeks ahead…
-- And finally, for those who were wondering what happened to the relaunch of the Three-Dot Tablet? I posted this on Notes yesterday evening…
Now that events have simmered down a bit - and barring any additional insanity - I will be posting it tomorrow (Monday) morning, at 07:30 Central time.
In the meantime, pray for President Trump, the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, for those who were injured, and for this occasionally-bizarre yet oft-resilient nation we call America. May Providence bless us during this difficult time, and may we become stronger because of it.
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Notes…
-- This was written this morning, without the lengthier editorial processes I usually apply; as such, my apologies for any grammatical or proofing errors.
-- Unless otherwise credited, all images were created by the author, using Substack’s AI Image Generator.
You’re a good man Stone. Appreciate the way you covered this while also being very open about the fact that none of us truly know the who why how and potentially the elements of the “what” itself. Temperance and prudence are very refreshing to see, thank you.
Thank you! I am with you on this too soon to have all the facts but clearly NOT staged. The Secret Service would have had to be complicit for it to be staged. The media is surely an accessory to this and much of the violence division and fear we see. And also didn’t Biden make some remark not that long ago about Trump should be in a Bullseye. ?