I’m worried.
Not because I think Amber Rose has any sway with the American electorate, or that Hulk Hogan managed to rally a bunch of “Trumpamaniacs,” or that Kid Rock was able to do whatever it is that Kid Rock does.
I’m worried because after a shocking attempt on the life of the former president and a four-day Republican lovefest, Donald Trump has begun to appeal to people who used to stick pins in their Donald Trump dolls.
“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight,” Trump said Thursday in a 93-minute speech in Milwaukee accepting the Republican nomination for president for the third time in a row.
“None of us knows God’s plan, or where life’s adventure will take us. But if the events of last Saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on Earth is a gift from God. We have to make the most of every day for the people and country we love.”
Now, be honest. What fault is there to find in that? Even if the other 92 minutes of his record-length speech were filled with lies and distortions, Trump’s appeal to live life to the fullest resonated with voters beyond Milwaukee.
Even some Black men have been seduced by Trump’s alpha male appeal and his assassination survival swagger.
Just hours after Trump pumped his fist in the air and wiped the blood off his wounded ear, memes and videos began appearing online casting Trump in the role of 50 Cent or Tupac Shakur, targeted Black rappers who famously survived violent, bloody ambushes.
Shakur was killed in another attack two years later.
“In many ways, the alpha male that Trump is, is appealing to African American men in urban communities,” said the Rev. Conrad Tillard, a Brooklyn minister and radio host once known as the Hip Hop Minister for his crusade against gangster lyrics.
“Trump represents bravado and strength,” said Tillard, who lost a Democratic primary for state Senate in 2022. “That’s one of the reasons he appealed to hip hop artists.”
And what about President Biden, whose own party has serious doubts about whether he can win in November?
He ditched the campaign trail at a crucial moment to deal with a bout of COVID.
That’s so 2020.
For all of Trump’s bravado in the face of a near-death experience, the attempt on his life revealed a warm and fuzzy side.
There was the moment at the convention when his 4-year-old granddaughter, Carolina, climbed onto his lap.
Getty
Donald Trump embraces the firefighter uniform of Corey Comperatore as he speaks on stage at the Republican National Convention. (Getty)
Trump later kissed the helmet of the fire chief, Corey Comperatore, who was killed in the assassination attempt by one of the bullets meant for Trump. Authorities said Comperatore died shielding his family from the shots.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others,” Trump said. “This is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours, and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness. This is what we need. Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever. I am more determined than ever, and so are you, and so is everybody in this room.”
It’s almost enough to make you forget that Trump is a convicted felon and a lying megalomaniac who was impeached twice, once for trying to overturn the government during a riot he instigated on Capitol Hill.
Almost.
Trump is still the candidate who threatens democracy — it’s not incendiary to say so — who could pack the courts with even more regressive judges, and who has strong ties to architects of Project 2025, the conservative policy roadmap that takes aim at civil rights and diversity.
Trump has also promised to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
All Americans, Republican or Democrat, conservative, liberal or progressive, should be outraged over an attempt on the life of a current, former or future president.
And shame on anyone who publicly or privately regretted that the shooter missed his target.
But don’t be fooled by the introspective, touchy-feely Trump. He still threatens America more than any assassin could.