Pundits worldwide are already predicting the dramatic assassination attempt could have a major impact on the presidential election.
University of Waikato international law professor Al Gillespie told The Front Page if you can find a motive, that could change it from an act of attempted murder to an act of terrorism.
“If it’s terrorism it means that it will be viewed very differently, not just legally, but also politically, because people will instantly start to associate that one person with any groups that they may have associated with.
“There’s always a risk that you’ll get either copycats - where someone will find inspiration from the notoriety of the killer and do a similar act - or you might get a reprisal attack, where someone will lash out against the community that they perceive the attempted assassin to have come from,” he said.
As for what these means for the race, Gillespie said that it is too soon to tell.
“I know a lot of people are saying it’s uh, going to be a landslide to Mr. Trump right now, but I think it’s premature to actually come to that position, because there’s a fair chance that [US President Joe Biden] won’t even be the preferred candidate going into the election in November.”
He hoped Americans could take a pause from this incident and come together.
“I was heartened by Melania Trump’s post about the importance of getting above politics and just coming together as a community.
“Ideally, in my world, there’d be no campaigning for the next 10 days so that Biden and Trump could come together and collectively condemn political violence under any justification.”
Conspiracy theories have ramped up in the days after the attack, and Gillespie said it’s an example of how disinformation is “on steroids” right now.
“It’s not new that there’s misinformation or disinformation or even propaganda, but the spread of it, the speed of it and the depth of it is unprecedented, and the risk is that this information is then used by others to go on and justify violence against other civilians in the course of their actions.”
“Women and children yelling and calling for help. I’ll never forget it.”
CBS News campaign reporter Jake Rosen was at the Pennsylvania rally when the shots rang out and told The Front Page initially, the crowd thought the “pop” sounds were fireworks.
“One of the bullets hit a hydraulic lift that holds up the massive speakers. I heard a hiss and saw some smoke from there. Then all of a sudden, we looked back at Trump, the crowd was shrieking.
“The sound of women and children yelling and calling for help - I’ll never forget it... It certainly took all of us by surprise,” he said.
Rosen’s first instinct was to let his parents know he was okay - but his cellphone signal was non-existent. He instead interviewed supporters in the crowd and helped get people to safety.
“I talked to a doctor who was off-duty, an emergency room physician who tried to save the life of the man who was killed.
“He did CPR on the man and tried to save his life in the stands before the medical officials got there. He had blood all over his shirt. He was shaken. His partner was shaken.
“It’s just a scene that’s unfortunately become all too real in America,” he said.
Rosen is now in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention will get under way.
“It just seems like there is this tangible feeling of nervousness among my colleagues and I who were there, and are now here.
“There’s so much going on in the world outside of America that we are already on alert for and now there’s a very significant development to that. It just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up a little bit as you walk around the city.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about what the Trump shooting means for US politics.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
