Warning

Along with millions of Americans – including some ten thousand-plus who were present at the July 13^th rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – I watched in horror as Donald Trump suddenly clutched his right ear and fell behind the podium at which he was speaking. Secret Service agents rushed onto the stage to shield Mr. Trump and lead him off the platform, under heavy guard. We TV viewers didn’t know what had happened, but we were greatly relieved to see the former president stand up, conscious and aware, although he seemed to be bleeding around his ear. Within minutes we learned that a bullet had grazed his ear. As he was speaking he had turned his head just slightly – thereby avoiding, by no more than a centimeter, what certainly would have been a fatal head shot. As the agents helped him into his van, Mr. Trump shook his fist and defiantly cried, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” I’ll be glad if I never again see anything as close to a successful assassination as that occurrence.

In the aftermath of the event, Republicans have done much public rejoicing over what many have called Mr. Trump’s “providential deliverance” from the assassin’s shots. Indeed, subsequent investigation has disclosed that the 20-year-old shooter fired as many as eight closely-spaced shots – killing one spectator and severely wounding two others before he was killed by a Secret Service sniper. That Mr. Trump suffered only a wound to his ear must mark him as extremely lucky or divinely protected. Even his political opponents should be offering prayers of thanks that Mr. Trump’s family and the entire country were spared the horror and upheaval that his death would have caused.

More than one commentator has expressed relief that we avoided a possible “national crisis” in those few dramatic seconds when bullets were flying from a rooftop in Butler, PA. I agree with that sense of relief, but I would be negligent if I didn’t mention that the terrible event was not a conclusion. Instead, it was a warning that this might have been only Act I in a grim drama that continues to threaten not just Mr. Trump’s life, but the life and tranquility of our entire republic.

Former Secret Service agents, like commentator Dan Bongino, have been shouting from the housetops about the massive security failure in Butler that exposed Mr. Trump to danger when a possible threat, spotted within rifle-range, remained un-neutralized. Mr. Bongino has noted that incompetence in the Secret Service, if un-corrected, could threaten the safety not only of Donald Trump, but also of other recipients of USSS protection. This includes Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Robert Kennedy Jr., Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter. Mr. Trump’s opponents are inviting disaster if they ignore the danger posed by an ineffective Secret Service. Its correction must be a bi-partisan issue. And the current USSS director’s DEI concentration on hiring more women – almost certain to be of lesser physical stature – is not reassuring.   

I can’t be the only one pointing out the strong likelihood that the young guy who fired a military-style rifle from the rooftop of that building almost certainly had help, long before the rally, planning his location and concealing his weapon. If he did have such assistance, it means that he was the spearhead of a conspiracy that still exists. And that could further mean that the conspirators might try to hit their target again, while our civil servants and Congressional representatives continue arguing over:

• Who didn’t secure the Butler-perimeter;
• Who didn’t act on reports of a “suspicious person” on the roof of a building just 130 yards away;
• Who allowed Mr. Trump to stand exposed at the podium while that person aimed his weapon and began firing.

Did the Secret Service detail have orders not to fire first if a threat is detected? God help us if that was so.

When an assassination is successful, the danger is past. No more bullets or bombs will be flying because the target is dead. But when an assassination fails, the danger remains. This has been demonstrated on many different occasions, in various places around the world. One of those places was Russia, where Czar Alexander II escaped several attempts on his life during his reign (1855 to 1881). But the would-be assassins didn’t give up.

The final try came in 1881, on a street in St Petersburg, when an assassin threw a bomb which hit the czar’s carriage. The carriage was bulletproof, so the czar was unhurt. But instead of speeding away from the scene, he stepped out of his carriage to confront the culprit and help the injured. This allowed a second assassin throw another bomb, which hit the czar directly and blew off his legs. The Czar’s grandson Nicholas, then age 22, often spoke of watching his grandfather die in the palace. Czar Nicholas said, “My grandfather freed the serfs; his enemies rewarded him by blowing him up in the street.” Many historians say Russia never recovered from the shock of that terrible event.

My prayers of thanks for Mr. Trump’s life always include requests for his continued safety, as well as for renewed diligence and expertise of those who are tasked with his protection. The Lord has given us a warning. We need to take it seriously.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“The gods help those who help themselves.” (Ancient Greek motto)