In a wild attempt to discredit Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump is alleging that Harris and Biden didn’t adequately protect him, causing him to be “forced to take a bullet for Democracy.”
Trump made the claim in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, saying, “IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!”
Since a gunman attempted to kill Trump at a Pennsylvania rally 10 days ago, Republicans and Democrats alike have criticized the Secret Service for failing to thwart a rooftop shooter only 400 feet away from the former president. Politicians on both sides were further critical of U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for saying it would take 60 days to compile a report on the incident.
In the end, Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, but that won’t stop Trump. Once the former president and convicted felon pushes a conspiracy theory, his followers tend to pile on and give the idea life in the right-wing media ecosystem. There will likely be continued attempts by the right to pin the shooting on the Biden administration, and Harris by extension. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has already joined in by claiming something suspicious in Biden stepping down to endorse Harris.
The right has blamed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles for the Secret Service failing to stop the shooter, and Fox News attempted to use the same right-wing dog whistle against Harris even before Biden withdrew from the race. It’s only a matter of time before Trump and right-wing media attempt to tie Harris, DEI, and the failures of the Secret Service together in one big conspiracy to attack the popular new presidential campaign.
Republicans don’t have much else to try except some exceptionally weak talking points, and Harris is already getting some shots in against Trump. But just like the QAnon and election-rigging conspiracies the right wing pushed in the last few years, this one probably won’t win over the average American either.
