Trump Unleashes Fury: Blames Harris for Attempted Murder, Igniting Passion Among Loyal Followers

[트럼프 두 번째 암살 시도]

“I was shot because of my inflammatory comments”… Emphasis on ‘integration’ Difference from the first murder crisis
“No influence on the moderates” “Unfavorable to Harris”… There are mixed opinions on the effect of the presidential election on voters.

On the 16th (local time), US law enforcement officials are investigating the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where an attempt was made to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump the day before. West Palm Beach = AP Newsis On the 15th (local time), the second assassination attempt on US Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump shakes the presidential election, which is about 50 days away. Candidate Trump, who emphasized ‘unity’ during the first assassination attempt on July 13, took a stronger stance this time, saying that President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris had harsh comments about him influenced the successive assassination attempts. The supporting base was collected.

Candidate Trump suffered his second assassination attempt by Ryan Wesley Rouse while playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club, his own golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. At the time, Rouse was pointed at candidate Trump with an AK-47 type rifle, was discovered by US Secret Service agents, was shot, and was caught running away. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Rouss has criticized the candidate Trump, emphasizing the need to support the war in Ukraine.

Ryan Wesley Rous has a poster depicting Russia as ‘evil’ in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, in April 2022. He has also mentioned in the past that he would kill Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kiwi = AP Newsis However, there are mixed analyzes on the impact this event will have on the presidential election, especially on moderate voters. The results of direct opinion polls regarding the second assassination attempt have not yet been published, but recent opinion polls show a steady increase in the approval rating of candidate Harris. It was later found that candidate Harris, who was evaluated as the winner of the televised debate on the 10th, was ahead of candidate Trump in the national approval rating as well as in Pennsylvania, which is considered the biggest battleground state . On the other hand, the famous political data analyst Nate Silver said on his website on the 17th, “The assassination attempt could moderate the upward trend of the Harris candidate in approval ratings. “The general environment for the presidential election is still favorable for candidate Trump (who has a strong support base),” he said.

● Trump: “Only important presidents are targeted for assassination”

Candidate Trump held a rally in Flint, Michigan, another battleground state, on the 17th, two days after the assassination attempt, and said, “Only important presidents get shot,” and that holding the presidency and running for the presidential election are dangerous tasks.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on the 16th, he claimed that the aggressive language and excessive hostility of the candidate Harris and President Biden, who attacked him as an ‘enemy of democracy’, was the cause of the second assassination attempt.

At a voter event held in Flint, Michigan on the 17th (local time), US Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump spoke about the second assassination attempt two days ago claiming, “Just important presidents who are shot.” Flint = AP candidate Newsis Trump said, “I was shot because of their comments. “They use very inflammatory language,” he claimed. He also said, “I am the one who saves the country, and they are the ones who destroy the country.”

This is different from the emphasis on ‘unity’ immediately after the first assassination attempt, saying it was “an opportunity to bring the world together.” Regarding this, there is an analysis that the candidate Trump is using the second assassination attempt as an opportunity to strengthen his attacks on the candidate Harris and rally his supporters in order to overcome his defeat in the televised debate and stagnant approval ratings.

● Polls after televised debate show Harris ahead

Meanwhile, according to the results released on the 17th by the polling company Morning Consult after surveying 11,022 voters from the 13th to the 15th, candidate Harris had an approval rating of 51%, ahead of candidate Trump (45%) by 6 percentage points. In a survey conducted by this company on the 4th to the 6th of this month, before the televised debate, the approval rating of candidate Harris was 49%, 3 percentage points ahead of candidate Trump (46 %), but the gap widened further.

The same was true of the survey conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University in Pennsylvania, the largest battleground state, from the 11th to the 15th. The approval rating of candidate Harris was 49%, which is higher than that of candidate Trump (46%). Kostas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Newsweek, “A second assassination attempt could strengthen support among Trump supporters, but it would have little effect on independents and swing voters.”

Candidate Harris expressed comfort about the assassination attempt in a phone call with candidate Trump on the 17th. However, attacks on candidate Trump continued. In an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists that day, he mentioned candidate Trump’s comment during a televised debate that “Haitian immigrants are eating the dogs and cats of the residents of Springfield, Ohio,” and criticized it as “so shameful that it bring tears to my eyes.”

Washington = Reporter Moon Byeong-ki weappon@donga.com
Reporter Lee Cheong-ah clearlee@donga.com