It’s been just six days since a bullet nearly changed the trajectory of America forever, but it seems like many Americans have already moved on.
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump hasn’t been as big of a topic as I expected. According to Google Trends, the assassination attempt on Trump hasn’t been the most searched topic in America since Saturday—the day of the shooting.
Just 24 hours after the former president and probable winner of the upcoming presidential election was nearly assassinated, the most searched topic on Google in America was the Copa America (a soccer tournament). Worse, on Monday, Ingrid Andress’s awful performance of the American national anthem at the MLB’s Home Run Derby received more searches on Google than the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Google Trends doesn’t include social media, where the assassination attempt has been one of the most talked about topics. However, it’s received less attention on social media than I expected.
This is partly because of the way we consume news these days. The fast-paced news cycle, our short attention span because of social media, fewer in-person conversations, and our disconnected and divided society have conditioned us to normalize extraordinary events.
The media is also largely responsible for this. They’ve downplayed the assassination attempt in a way that I doubt they would have decades ago. Their worsening bias against Republicans is especially evident when you compare their reaction to this past Saturday to their response to the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Therefore, though one person was killed and two others were injured, 34% of Democrats believe the assassination attempt was staged and another 18% don’t know if the shooting was real.
I thought the assassination attempt would be a watershed moment. But instead, it looks like it’ll be remembered as just one of the many crazy events from the 2024 presidential election.
Considering what would probably be happening in America now if Trump’s head was positioned differently, it’s disturbing that people have moved on so quickly.
If Trump’s re-election campaign came to a violent end, I think America would be suffering ongoing, political violence right now. So when God spared Donald Trump’s life, he was sparing America.
Christians in America have been praying for Donald Trump and the country. On Saturday, God answered our prayers. Which makes the indifferent reactions to the shooting even worse.
By downplaying the seriousness of the shooting, some people are downplaying the grace and providence of God. This past week has revealed another layer of depravity in America. Not only were some people downplaying or denying the shooting, but some people were unashamed to say on social media they were disappointed the assassination attempt was unsuccessful.
If last Saturday didn’t bring Americans together like assassination attempts in the past, I don’t know what could. Also, in the middle of this, the Republican Party has removed their support for a federal abortion ban and their opposition to gay “marriage” from their platform.
So despite the outcome of the election, America is on an abominable path that will end with judgment and destruction. So if I’m being honest, it could be that America is broken beyond repair.
Maybe it’s impossible that America will survive this level of depravity. However, it seemed impossible that Donald Trump would survive the assassination attempt. By the grace of God, he did. So maybe, by the grace of God, America will survive this too.
Maybe that’s impossible. But with God, all things are possible.