If It Had Happened

 

As we struggle to process the implications of Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, there may likely be some out there who hate him so much that they secretly wish the young gunman in Pennsylvania had succeeded. I am not a particular Trump fan, but I am certainly not one of those folks, for a couple of very practical reasons.

First, the Republican Party would have to replace Trump as a candidate in the upcoming election – not an easy task. They do have people in the ranks who are smoother, more articulate, and maybe even smarter, though perhaps not as good at holding audiences. But such a candidate, especially if younger than Trump, might be more difficult for President Biden to defeat, assuming his own party supports him staying in the race. The GOP itself would be elevated to a special status that would be a lot harder for Democrats to counter, perhaps an automatic occupation of a big chunk of the moral high ground.

But another possible result could come of the killing of Donald Trump: Civil War II. Extremists have been calling for it for quite a while, and a Trump assassination would likely push them over the edge. We can only speculate from that point what would happen to the economy, our status in the world, and how our adversaries would take advantage.

These things, fortunately, are only speculation on my part, because the worst did not happen on Saturday. There are many who believe that God intervened to spare Mr. Trump in order to send us a message that he is the “chosen” one to be President again, and it may not be the only such message. Almost every legal action thrown at him isn’t sticking. If nothing else, he is now a survivor, and we all love survivors. But the overarching message may be, this will all have to be settled at the ballot box, and by no other means – certainly not violence.

While the worst didn’t happen over the weekend, what did occur was bad enough. The gunfire from that Pennsylvania rooftop did kill one person in the rally crowd and critically injured two others. Was God trying to send us messages about inadequate security at these functions or the need for better control of guns -- and America’s inordinate love of guns? Those who are in better communication with God than I will have to answer those questions.