The Republican Party appears to have gone all in on Donald Trump’s messianic status in the wake of the assassination attempt, advancing a theory that the felonious, adulterous, insurrection-inciting, election-denying, convicted rapist was spared by God—even if that same God chose not to save a retired firefighter who died from the bullets shot at Trump.
By Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson was already a full believer that the former president’s life was spared by an act of divine intervention. Pointing to a history of what he believed to be God-like acts that guided the historic leaders of this country, Johnson claimed that Trump had experienced his own God-given miracle.
“Not to over-spiritualize everything, as you and I are accused of, Ben—but this is a big thing,” Johnson told Ben Shapiro. “I think God’s gonna give our nation another chance, and I think President Trump is gonna be the leader that does that.”
Mike Johnson to Ben Shapiro: "Not to over-spiritualize everything as you and I are accused of, Ben, but this is big thing. I think God's gonna give our nation another chance, and I think President Trump is gonna be the leader that does that." pic.twitter.com/hBX8IS2Rkn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 15, 2024
Online, Johnson had gone even further, claiming Sunday on X (formerly Twitter) that “GOD protected President Trump.” But he wasn’t the only right-wing leader to make the overzealous claim. Evangelical minister Franklin Graham told Fox News that Trump was spared by “God’s hand of protection.” From inside prison, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon stated that Trump “wears the armor of God”; Texas Governor Greg Abbott added that Trump was “truly blessed.”
Johnson has already announced that a “full investigation” will be conducted of the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP,” Johnson posted on social media Sunday.
So far, little is understood about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, or his motives, save that he was a 20-year-old white male from Bethel, Pennsylvania. Former classmates described him as a bullied “loner” and “outcast” with a penchant for wearing military and hunting clothes, and who was by all measures “definitely conservative.”
