Shirt fronting journalists; a lesson in consequences

Like many commentators, I never thought I’d write a complimentary Donald Trump piece.

But here I go…

We all know the age-old saying; a picture is worth a thousand words.

And on July 13, 2024, following an assassination attempt, Donald Trump, the former US president and at the time, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee in the upcoming presidential election, let his picture do all the talking.

He didn’t talk over the pictures. He didn’t talk over the moment. He stayed silent.

Trump let the pictures and his actions be the story.

Mere moments after a bullet grazed his ear, Trump stood perfectly still, with his fist raised in the air. An act of defiance.

In the background, a picture-perfect blue sky. In the same frame, a US flag flies overhead, almost as if Trump is waving it himself.

The look on all the faces of the secret service is laser focused: protect Trump

Photographer Evan Vucci with the Associated Press has been covering Trump for the last eight years. He says that when he heard the gunshots at the Pennsylvania rally, he instinctively ran towards the stage.

“The job is all about anticipation,” says Vucci.

The photographer began thinking about the evacuation route that Trump would be taking. He then positioned himself at the stairs, right near the stage.

The photographer found the right spot, right in the danger zone and captured the image.

Vucci says he “was somewhat taken aback” when Trump raised his fist, but there was only one thing was running through his mind: “Slow down, think, compose. Slow down, think, compose.”

The Democrats went into full crisis mode, knowing full well that their political destiny had been forever changed. Biden’s response was classic, crisis media management. Regularly updating the nation, showing care and empathy, highlighting the need for investigations and the roles of local and national law enforcement agencies.

They also spun the assassination attempt into a violence discussion and political discourse discussion. Biden tried to own the context.

Regardless of which way you lean politically, never once did they give credit where credit is due.

Never crediting Trump for his bravery, defiance and fighting spirit was understandable. Biden might not of, but the rest of the world certainly did.