I slept through the Trump rally in Pennsylvania last night. I was in Israel and the time difference meant that President Trump would not appear until after 1AM local time. Instead, my wife woke me urgently this morning with news I had hoped never to hear — President Trump had been shot.
I was only five years old when President Kennedy was shot but I still remember that tragedy vividly. I recall even more clearly the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy some five years later. And, of course, as an adult, the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin and the attempt on the life of Ronald Reagan are seared in my memory.
But none of those events, as horrible as they were, had the same personal effect on me as the attempted killing of Donald Trump. Here was a friend, confidant and former boss coming within an inch of a bullet's path of losing his life.
I watched the videotape over and over. Even though I already knew the outcome, my initial reaction was horror as the screams emerged from the crowd. One could then see President Trump clutch his ear as if he had been bitten by an insect. And then the blood began to flow down the side of his face.
I had to smile as the Secret Service made a protective human circle around the President. He was having none of it. Trump wanted everyone in the crowd to know that he had survived; that he was fine and would never give up. He pierced the Secret Service circle and held up a clenched fist which he shook to the chant of "USA, USA" by the audience. I could see then that my friend was fine, both physically and emotionally.
Later that evening, President Trump descended the lengthy stairs from his airplane door without hesitation or assistance. He was better than fine.
At a time of much debate about the physical capabilities of the presidential candidates, President Trump showed, in real time, his incredible strength and resilience. He also demonstrated that the millions of people who regularly pray for his welfare are having their voices heard in the heavens.
An assassin's bullet could not impair Donald Trump. That's an important message to America and the world. It's also a lesson that we hope never to learn again. I pray that violence never again becomes part of our political process.
