Call it the Immaculate Protection.

The would-be assassin’s bullet came within a sliver of an inch to killing former President Donald Trump. The shooter, for reasons still under investigation, managed to climb on the rooftop of a nearby building for a clear, unobstructed view as Trump stood on stage. Experts compared the odds of the shooter hitting the target to that of a golfer nailing a chip shot.

But, miraculously, the bullet grazed Trump’s ear. A rally goer on stage behind Trump was fatally wounded and two others suffered serious injury. But Trump, the intended target, not only survived but stood up and shook his fist to assure all that he was OK.

What more can this man endure? He’s been accused of being a Russian asset. He’s been accused of being so mentally unstable that when first elected, some Democrat members of Congress tried to invoke the 25th Amendment. He was impeached twice, his home raided, found civilly liable, arrested, charged and criminally convicted. And now he has survived a would-be assassin’s bullet.

Critics blame Trump’s “overheated rhetoric” for the Jan. 6 “insurrection,” ignoring that he implored protesters to “peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard. But President Joe Biden, who calls Trump “dangerous,” and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who once called Trump “evil,” bear no responsibility?

It was out of body watching CNN hosts/guests/pundits, after the assassination attempt, plead to tone down political rhetoric.

These are the same Trump-hating CNN jackals who call Trump an “insurrectionist”; who accuse him of pushing “The Big Lie” for daring to raise legitimate questions about the 2020 election; who allow hosts/guests/pundits to falsely push the “Trump said there were good and bad Nazis on both sides” Charlottesville lie; who allow hosts/guests/pundits to falsely say Trump said to drink/inject bleach; who allow hosts/guests/pundits to call Trump a “threat to our democracy”; who allowed Hillary Clinton to call President Trump “illegitimate” and describe the 2016 election as “stolen”; and who allow Biden/Dems/guests to get away with lies and out of context assertions. This includes saying, “Trump said he would be a dictator” and that “Trump said there would be a bloodbath” if not elected. No rebuttal. No fact check. No adding context.

Yet, it was noticeable how CNN hosts, after the attempted assassination, switched from calling Donald Trump just “Trump” to calling him “the former President Trump” and “Mr. Trump.”

Biden, in an address after the assassination attempt against Trump, urged the nation to “lower the temperature in our politics.” But hours before the assassination attempt, Biden’s thermometer was on fire. Biden posted the following on X:

“Americans want a president, not a dictator.”

“Project 2025 is run and paid for by the Trump people. It was a project built for Trump, and it’s the biggest attack on our freedoms in history.”

“We must stop him.”

“Trump has said that if he wins, he’ll be a dictator on day one. And folks, he means it. Just look at this right-wing project 2025 — the blueprint for the second Trump term. I will not let that happen.”

“No more free passes for Donald Trump. We’re going to say who he is, and what he intends to do. He’s a convicted criminal.”

After the assassination attempt, a staffer for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) posted this on Facebook: “I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking.”

Thompson fired the staffer. But consider Thompson’s record of vitriol. He once called Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom.” He introduced a bill to strip Secret Service protection from Trump after his criminal conviction. He served as chair of the Jan. 6 Committee that investigated Trump’s alleged election denying and so-called attempt to overturn an election. Yet, Thompson, after the 2004 reelection of President George W. Bush, joined some 30 other House members and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in an effort to reject the certification of Ohio. They claimed the Diebold voting machines had been tampered with by its pro-Republican manufacturer. The media did not accuse them of “election denying” and of trying to “overturn an election.”

In 1775, there was the shot heard ‘round the world. In 2024, there was the shot that got Donald John Trump reelected.

COPYRIGHT 2024 LAURENCE A. ELDER