Trump gets shot and Biden withdraws from the race
On July 13th at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump was shot in the ear, narrowly escaping death. As the former president was quickly rushed off stage by security, the suspect was shot and killed by secret service. He was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20 year old Pennsylvania native. There were three other victims who were shot, one of them passed away.
This breaking news shook up American politics, raising questions about the instability of the United States, and the ease at which this attack was able to occur. President Biden released a statement condemning the actions of the attempted assassin and calling for unity within the United States. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now — unity.”
This shocking event resulted in a range of reactions. Trump’s brush with death created a massive rise in support for the candidate as people’s admiration for him grew after his ‘fearless’ reaction when he pumped his fist into the air as blood streamed down his face. The division between the two parties has also grown even larger, as republicans outwardly blame democrats for this outrageous event, ignoring Biden’s request for unity.
American politics were still reeling on July 17th, when it was revealed that Biden had contracted COVID and was recovering at his family home in Delaware. During his isolation, on July 21st, the President announced that after much deliberation, he felt it was his duty to withdraw from the presidential race. In a letter released to the public he stated, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden soon expressed his support for his current Vice President, Kamala Harris, to take over his campaign and become the new democratic nominee.
This series of events leaves the polls and the status of the election in completely wild territory, with a new democratic nominee and a survivor of an assassination attempt in the running all within eight days. With only four months to go, both parties have new information to digest and harness in their future actions. It will be interesting to see the angles taken by the candidates, and whether all of this will bolster Trump's campaign beyond the reach of the democratic party, or if the excitement of a new candidate will turn heads the other direction.