As With Reagan, Cheating Death Can Offer Trump a Challenge and a Chance

Strategists often speak of ‘humanizing’ candidates, and nothing reminds us of our mortality like hearing shots fired.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Police officers and Secret Service agents protect President Reagan during an assassination attempt at Washington in 1981. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The shock of the attempt on President Trump’s life is ebbing and, with his decision to attend the Republican National Convention as scheduled, politics is back on the menu. His wounding and defiant reaction — combined with President Biden suspending his attack ads — are the ingredients for a significant bounce in the polls.

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