The United States of America, USA, and by extension the world was saved a major disaster on Saturday, July 13, 2024 when former President, Donald Trump, narrowly survived an assassination attempt by a 20-year-old Thomas Crooks at a Republican Party rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

While he addressed his supporters, several shots rang out. One of the bullets grazed his right ear. On realising he was under attack he instinctively took cover and was instantly swamped by a horde of his security details. Unfortunately, a man, Corey Comperatore, lost his life, while two others were hospitalised.

The sad incident exposed lapses in the security arrangement dedicated to the former president’s protection. The young assassin who was instantly neutralised was on a roof in the full view of many, less than 100 metres away from the campaign podium. There were other incidents observed on live video that led many to suspect what they called an “insider job”, but ongoing investigation will hopefully unravel the mysteries.

Trump’s miraculous escape was the latest of the travails he has faced since his controversial loss of his second term bid in November 2020. His supporters felt he was rigged out, so they staged protests which led to the Capitol invasion. He has faced a series of legal actions concerning that invasion, allegations of personal misconducts, business malpractice, and other charges. Indeed, he was recently convicted on 30 out of 34 counts of covering up payments made to a former porn star.

Trump and his supporters believe these are desperate attempts by his assailants in the Joe Biden regime and the Democratic Party to run him off the ballot for the November 2024 presidential election. The attempt to kill him has, however, fired up his campaign and raised the patriotic instincts of millions of Americans, especially the typical fence-sitters.

It is difficult to envision what could possibly have been the outcome if Trump had been killed. Some even believe America could have spiralled towards another civil war because of the depth of ideological divisions within the body polity.

America is sharply divided between the pro-nationalist right which Trump fronts and the leftist-globalists represented by Biden, the Democratic Party and even some liberal elements of the Republican Party. Trump commands extreme passions of love and hatred. His ordeals have only helped to intensify these.

We commend all Americans for closing ranks after the sobering event, and call on the political leaders to refocus their campaigns on the issues rather than personalities. They should tone down the abrasive propaganda and foster a conducive atmosphere for peace during the campaigns and after the elections.

America must avoid the worst-case scenario of another civil war. No country can survive two civil wars. America is too dangerously armed to fall into anarchy.