Nick Bryant: former BBC US correspondent on what the Pennsylvania rally means for Trump's campaign

Questions are being raised over what Trump's campaign will look like after the recent Pennsylvania rally shooting.

Trump was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt at a rally yesterday, which left one attendee killed and two others injured.

Former BBC US correspondent Nick Bryant believes the event allows Trump to revel in a sense of martyrdom and victimhood.

"Also, it makes him seem more presidential. Because figures like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and obviously Joe Biden have had to come out and say - this was a terrible event."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the bigger questions out of all of this,
of course, in Butler, Pennsylvania, is how does a campaign
go forward? How do they handle security. We've got the
Republican Convention this week in Milwaukee Stants tomorrow where Trump
will be formally nominated and confirmed as a Republican Party candidate.
Former BBC US correspondent now old mate mcbriand as with
there's morning mate. Hey, Mike, could you believe what you
were seeing?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
To be honest, Mike, I thought initially it was a
deep fake. I was just falling asleep in Britain, which
is where I am now. It was late at night.
I checked my phone literally minutes after the shooting happened,
and I saw that picture of Donald Trump with blood
streaking down his face. And I thought I was looking
at a meme. And of course, pretty quickly afterwards I

(00:45):
realized I was looking at one of the most extraordinary
moments in modern US history. You know, America is not
unfamiliar with political violence. Indeed, it's been the continual thread
of American history, you know, going back to the early
days of the Republic. Andrew Jackson, Trump's great hero, the
populist hero that he seeses his presidential soul mat he

(01:08):
was came under an attack on Capitol Hill way back
in the eighteen thirties. But you know, and we've seen
four American presidents obviously shot dead, but you know, we
haven't seen that in recent times. And it was extraordinary
and shocking to see though, perhaps you know that phrase
that we've often used in the Trump era, shocking but
not entirely surprising.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Yeah, as gaulish as it may seem, Reagan's popularity win
up twenty two points post Who's shooting? Is Trump now
a martyr and has the game change politically for him
in this race?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think it enables him to revel in two things
that he likes to revel him, which is a sense
of martyrdom and a sense of victimhood. Indeed, it's a
shared sense of victimhood, which I think explains much of
the visceral connection that he has with the mag of Faithful.
They were rusted on already, Mike. I think they were
going to turn out in droves to vote for Donald Trump.
What's interesting about this is it may impact Republican waiverers.

(02:03):
It's very difficult now for a Republican lawmaker or a
pub rocking figure to be openly critical of a man
who has just survived an assassination attempt. Also, it makes
him seem more presidential, because figures like Barack Obama and
Bill Clinton and obviously Joe Biden have had to come
out and say this was a terrible event. He for

(02:24):
this moment, is part of their club, the President's club.
He looks presidential again, even with the blood coming down
his face. So I do think it's a big plus
for Joe Biden, a big plus for Donald Trump at
a time, of course, when Joe Biden has been coming
figuratively at least under so much friendly far from his
own side, and look very weak and frail, you know,

(02:44):
for Trump supporters. He looked very strong and dynamic in
that moment as he shouted fight, fight, fight, literally seconds
after he'd been shot.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, the optics of that, I don't think you can
underestimate to be to go through what he did, to
get back up and to react the way he did
says something about him, whether you love him or not,
doesn't it.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah. And that such shot of him with fifth rays
blood in his face, the American flag above his head
is instantly iconic you know, some have been describing it
as an eogma moment. Some have been likening it to
George Washington's crossing of the Delaware, which became an incredibly
famous sort of picture painting that sort of echoed down

(03:27):
the centrist Yeah, and it has this sort of sense
of religiosity around Trump that he's the chosen one, that
somehow he's indestructible, that however many times people come afterwards,
he bounces back, and you know, there is this tradition
in American politics of strong presidents and strong former presidents

(03:48):
being extremely popular with the American people, and the converse
is also true. The frail and those perceived to be
weak tend to get punished. I'm thinking in recent times,
as Jimmy Carter, I'm thinking in recent times or work
with Walker Bush. And of course that is the criticism
right now of Joe.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Biden and presumably then the convention this week in Milwaukee,
when he takes the stage to receive the nomination, he'll
be greeted as a hero.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, he will be. And I think one of the
key points to make about the convention, I mean, there
are Republicans who have serious misgivings about Donald Trump. There
are many Republicans who wanted Nicky Haley. There are many
Republicans who are still deeply uneasy about his authoritarian tendencies,
and they have fears that, you know, American democracy really

(04:32):
isn't safe if he is returned to the white hat.
And it's going to be very difficult to make that
case in a voluble sense to raise your voice against
Trump in this moment, given that the party has just
rallied round him, and this kind of cult that Trump
has kind of created ever since he came down that
golden escalator in twenty fifteen, it's become even stronger as

(04:55):
a result of this failed assassination attempt.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
What we were. Nick appreciates very much what we were
in a way. We didn't have confirmation. What we were
waiting for yesterday was a possible announcement around the VP. J. D.
Barnce seems to be the favorite along with Burgham. I
cannot understand the rationale behind Burgham. He doesn't even look
normal and Trump doesn't look normal. And say whatever you
want and call me superficial, but optics count, and you

(05:18):
can't have two exceedingly abnormal people looking people. I would
have thought Ring in America, there is a jersey wearer
like yourself.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
You'd appreciate somebody like Bergham, who's often seen in a
sleeveless fleece.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
There's nothing wrong with the sleeveless fleece or indeed a
jersey Glynn, but you got to back it up with
a bit of you know, I don't know, brain power
in a normal looking face. For more from the Mic
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