BBC immediate analysis: how the attack on Trump changes the data on the US elections

The images of Donald Trump with his fist raised in the air, blood streaming down his face, and the Secret Service swooping down on him to protect him and remove him from the podium where he was speaking at his rally in Pennsylvania are not just making history – they may well change the course of the November presidential election.

This shocking act of political violence will inevitably have an impact on the campaign, a BBC direct analysis points out. In fact, the post by Donald Trump’s son Eric shortly after the attempt on his father’s life is presented as typical of the significance that the assassination attempt takes on for the campaign itself.

Trump’s son Eric, the BBC notes, made sure to get the political message across by taking advantage of the circumstances by posting a photo of his father with blood on his face and his fist raised, writing: “This is the fighter America needs.”

This is the fighter America needs! pic.twitter.com/77xES5kBRO

— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) July 14, 2024

President Joe Biden appeared on television shortly after the attempted assassination of his rival and said there is no place in America for political violence like this. He expressed concern for his Republican opponent and said he hoped to speak with him later tonight. In fact, for the first time since the start of the campaign, Biden called his opponent by his first name, “Donald.”

Biden’s campaign staff has stopped all political statements and is now changing all of his TV ads as quickly as possible, clearly believing it is inappropriate to attack Donald Trump at this time and focus on condemning what happened.

Politicians from across the political spectrum – people who agree on very little – agree that violence has no place in a democracy.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton were quick to denounce the violence and said they were relieved that Trump was not seriously injured.

However, some of Trump’s closest allies and supporters are already blaming Biden for the violence, with one Republican congressman … throwing arrows at the president for “inciting murder” in a post on X.

Senator James David Vance, who is believed to be on Trump’s shortlist of favorites to become the vice presidential nominee, said the Biden campaign’s rhetoric directly led to the incident.

Other Republican politicians are adopting similar reasoning, which is almost certain to be condemned by their opponents as inflammatory at a critical moment in American politics.

Already we can see battle lines being drawn in what could become a very ugly fight over a deeply shocking incident, the BBC reports. This will reshape the campaign.

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