One year after shooting, Trump’s base credits God’s protection
One year after a would-be assassin s bullet grazed President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally supporters are marking the day as a miracle while critics say the nation is still reckoning with how it happened The July shooting in Butler killed -year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore and wounded two others Trump then the Republican nominee was struck in the ear as he stood onstage His bloodied image fist raised as Secret Provision agents rushed him away became a symbol of survival and for various divine intervention One of his biggest supporters Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced multiple times that Trump should not have survived but he did because God protected him If President Trump had been tragically assassinated one year ago at present in Butler Pennsylvania we would not be seeing the fulfillment of these extraordinary policies Thankfully God spared President Trump from the assassin s bullets pic twitter com FefhFx JG Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene RepMTG July That belief has become widespread among Trump s base and helped fuel his return to the White House At rallies supporters often reference God s hand and treat the near-miss as a sign of destiny Trump himself has leaned into that framing calling the day a turning point and frequently invoking faith and providence in speeches I believe I was spared for a reason he reported last month Behind the symbolism though questions remain A sweeping Secret Organization review identified failures including ignored rooftop threats and communication breakdowns Six agents were suspended the director resigned and half of the recommended reforms have been implemented Comperatore s widow Helen has publicly blasted the agency s performance calling it garbage My husband did everything right she announced They didn t According to The Washington Post Aaron Zaliponi a local SWAT officer and Army veteran says he fired the ninth shot from approximately yards away striking the gunman s rifle and halting the attack I just got you Zaliponi recalled convinced his shot hit the rifle and caused the shooter to stop firing Further reporting notes that while no forensic evidence definitively confirms a hit congressional investigators and local authorities acknowledge his action may have saved lives Meanwhile President Trump has praised Zaliponi as a patriot who may have saved multiple lives according to a White House spokesperson In Butler residents held a moment of silence Saturday at a memorial for Comperatore For them and the nation the day remains a flashpoint of grief resilience and what might have been Read more about this topic Weaponizing tragedy for political capital How Trump assassination attempts fuel MAGA Secret Operation admits to multiple failures in Trump assassination attempt God spared my life Trump tells rally higher power saved him from assassination attempts The post One year after shooting Trump s base credits God s protection appeared first on Salon com
