Opinion: Media casts doubt on Trump shooting

Harry Truman reportedly said that the Joe Rosenthal photo of the flag raising on Iwo Jima guaranteed the existence of the U.S. Marine Corps for the next 100 years.

Truman was right. The photo became an icon throughout the nation and a monument in Washington, D.C.

The Trump political rally held in Pennsylvania a week ago has created another such moment in history. The heroic image of a bloodied Donald J. Trump, rising out of a crowd of secret service personnel, Old Glory waving above him, fist raised in triumph and shouting “Fight!” is so riveting that it may have already reached the iconic stage.

The fact that hundreds of cell phones captured the scene in some variation guarantees that it will live in the annals of American folklore forever.

Although most people watching the rally in person or on electronic media indicated they realized almost immediately that shots had been fired, the institutional media chose to create some semblance of doubt as to what really happened. I offer the following headlines as an example of the above:

USA Today: “Trump removed from stage by Secret Service after loud noises startles former president, crowd”

NBC News: “Secret Service rushes Trump offstage after popping noises heard at his Pennsylvania rally”

Associated Press: “Breaking: Donald Trump has been escorted off the stage by Seret Service during a rally after loud noises ring out in the crowd”

CNN: “Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally”

Election 2024: “Trump taken away after loud nises at rally”

MSNBC: “Two senior U.S. law enforcement officials tell NBC News there is a growing concern in law enforcement circles that this may have been a serious attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump.” (I have no idea what a frivolous attempt on someone’s life would be.)

Washington Post: “Musk, other pro-Trump billionaires have helped shape shooting narrative”

New York Times: “Republicans Place Shooting in Trump’s Narrative of Persecution” … “Even without a known motive, Donald J. Trump’s allies are casting the attempt on his life as part of the story of oppression at the heart of this campaign.”

Some have even hypothesized that it was not an assassination attempt, as the round only grazed his ear. To those pundits, I call your attention to the following: The next time you are shaving or applying makeup notice that your ear is attached tightly to your head.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

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