X/@WesleyHuntTX
A year after the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt issued a fiery tribute on social media, calling it an act of divine providence and a turning point for America. The post elicited tremendous reactions across the political spectrum, as it featured all-too-resonant images of Trump, bloodied yet defiant, right after the event.
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Hunt declared that July 13 was “the day our nation was spared a devastating tragedy.” The congressman claimed the life of Trump had been spared by divine providence. He continued to depict the event as an act of God – “a miracle, a warning, and a turning point” – while applauding Trump’s “unwavering spirit” that shortly after barely escaping from a bullet with a faint trace of blood coming out of his ear, raised his fist in defiance and shouted “Fight!” to his supporters. The picture showed a little blood coming out of Trump’s ear, to which some commenters went so far as to compare it to feminine hygiene products; for others, however, this picture shot him straight into martyrdom.
This post saw the red-hot debate erupting under the replies section, laying bare the immense polarization regarding the legacy of Trump. Supporters echoed Hunt’s religious interpretation of the event; one user said, “Divine miracle where God spared Trump life” while another added, “We LOVE President Trump and PRAY daily for his safety.” Many told of a firefighter’s death during the event to prove that God chose to favor Trump; one sarcastically said, “God picked the p3do over the fireman.”
Opponents came along, not only to berate the religious interpretation but to cast doubts over the moribund nature of the event itself. Several respondents called it a “false flag” or “biggest hoax of the nation,” demanding the release of Trump’s medical records and Epstein-related documents. One was merciless with a sarcastic jab at the bandage on Trump’s ear: “He stood back up, and let the SS hold him in front of a carefully placed photographer in a rehearsed photo shop for crappy shoes.”
More international views surfaced after, with one Serbian user giving a translation: “This is a prayer. Thank you for this wonderful post.” More measured voices, however, began asking whether attributing the event to divine intervention may have been going a bit too far; one said, “is it a bit too much to say that it was the ‘hand of God’?”
The debate has opened up larger political grievances, with a number of responses contrasting this salvation of Trump with tragedies such as the Uvalde school shooting. One acerbically retorted: “I guess this God you are referring to, also wanted little girls in sleep away camp to die.”
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With the assassination attempt standing out in the minds of many supporters as proof of Trump being a political martyr, Hunt’s post came, with Trump girding himself for yet strong poll numbers amidst all legal attempts. This fiery statement of Hunt’s closing – reiterated thrice: “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” – thus solidifying the Butler incident in the mythology of the comeback campaign. Either a state of provoked intervention or politicized spectacle, it is still a Rorschach test for an already divided populace.