Hi there. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris, the host of The Morning Edition, the daily news podcast from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. We're bringing you the best episodes of 2024 before your Morning Edition team returns in early January, Donald J. Trump was probably the story of 2024. The assassination attempts and then his election as the next president of the United States. Today, we go back to the first attempt on Trump's life at a rally in Pennsylvania in the hours after it happened. In this episode with North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin, we're releasing it for you today on December 26th. So, Farrah, Australians woke up to the really shocking news on Sunday that Donald Trump was the victim of what is believed to be an assassination attempt, and this was at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania. So can you tell me what happened?

Hi there. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris, the host of The Morning Edition, the daily news podcast from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. We're bringing you the best episodes of 2024 before your Morning Edition team returns in early January, Donald J. Trump was probably the story of 2024. The assassination attempts and then his election as the next president of the United States. Today, we go back to the first attempt on Trump's life at a rally in Pennsylvania in the hours after it happened. In this episode with North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin, we're releasing it for you today on December 26th. So, Farrah, Australians woke up to the really shocking news on Sunday that Donald Trump was the victim of what is believed to be an assassination attempt, and this was at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania. So can you tell me what happened?

Well, yes. So Donald Trump was basically at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is essentially sort of Trump country near Pittsburgh. And he was on stage for not long going through issues around the US border crisis, when suddenly there were some shots fired in the crowd, or certainly the sounds of popping.

Well, yes. So Donald Trump was basically at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is essentially sort of Trump country near Pittsburgh. And he was on stage for not long going through issues around the US border crisis, when suddenly there were some shots fired in the crowd, or certainly the sounds of popping.

You said, take a look at what happened.

You said, take a look at what happened.

Next thing you know, he's put his hand up to his his ear and ducked. And it turned out that, you know, a gunman had basically opened fire towards the stage at his his rally shooters down.

Next thing you know, he's put his hand up to his his ear and ducked. And it turned out that, you know, a gunman had basically opened fire towards the stage at his his rally shooters down.

Are we good to move? Clear. Clear. Let's move. We're clear.

Are we good to move? Clear. Clear. Let's move. We're clear.

What we know so far is that it was an incident that I think left one spectator dead. I think there were two others critically injured. Obviously, chaos was caused at this event, and. And Trump pretty much, um, was whisked away by by Secret Service agents.

What we know so far is that it was an incident that I think left one spectator dead. I think there were two others critically injured. Obviously, chaos was caused at this event, and. And Trump pretty much, um, was whisked away by by Secret Service agents.

I got you, sir. Let me get my shoes on. Hold that in your head.

I got you, sir. Let me get my shoes on. Hold that in your head.

Sir. We got to move to the car, but, um, pumping his fist in the air and I guess a very sort of iconic image for the ages.

Sir. We got to move to the car, but, um, pumping his fist in the air and I guess a very sort of iconic image for the ages.

Wait wait wait wait. USA. USA. USA. USA. USA.

Wait wait wait wait. USA. USA. USA. USA. USA.

Officials have been briefing, you know, media agents in relation to the shooting. It's obviously being investigated as a possible assassination attempt. It seems that live rounds were fired from outside the security perimeter. Um, and this is not surprising to me. Anybody who's been at a Trump rally will know how highly secure these these things are. You have to if you're not sort of part of the accredited media, you wait in line for ages and you then have to go through Secret Service, a very, very thorough check. Um, even when you are with the media, you've got Secret Service checks, dogs sniffing the entire perimeter. So it was it was obviously something that's taken place outside of the outside of the vicinity. I think the Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue, and they have now neutralized the shooter. He's now dead, and.

Officials have been briefing, you know, media agents in relation to the shooting. It's obviously being investigated as a possible assassination attempt. It seems that live rounds were fired from outside the security perimeter. Um, and this is not surprising to me. Anybody who's been at a Trump rally will know how highly secure these these things are. You have to if you're not sort of part of the accredited media, you wait in line for ages and you then have to go through Secret Service, a very, very thorough check. Um, even when you are with the media, you've got Secret Service checks, dogs sniffing the entire perimeter. So it was it was obviously something that's taken place outside of the outside of the vicinity. I think the Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue, and they have now neutralized the shooter. He's now dead, and.

So far, I did want to ask you about what's really become sort of the indelible image of this horrible incident, which is Trump, after being shot, raising his fist in the air. You know, he's got blood coming down. You know, in his ear and across his cheek. And I'm wondering whether you actually think this might boost his popularity, because already I've read commentary that this image has echoes of Rocky Balboa, the triumphant boxer from the movie Rocky, and even the US Marines at Iwo Jima, who, of course, helped the US capture the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army in World War two.

So far, I did want to ask you about what's really become sort of the indelible image of this horrible incident, which is Trump, after being shot, raising his fist in the air. You know, he's got blood coming down. You know, in his ear and across his cheek. And I'm wondering whether you actually think this might boost his popularity, because already I've read commentary that this image has echoes of Rocky Balboa, the triumphant boxer from the movie Rocky, and even the US Marines at Iwo Jima, who, of course, helped the US capture the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army in World War two.

Um, I mean, it was an extraordinary image, wasn't it? I mean, I've seen him do that many, many times before, but in this particular circumstance, I think, you know, Donald Trump just sort of struck one of the most iconic poses in history, right? I mean, with these sort of fisted defiance, he's pretty much entered the halls of American history with with an image for the ages. It's a projection of strength that his supporters love. You heard them chanting and cheering as he was escorted away. And it is something that I, you know, according to some political observers, could very much help him win the white House. Um, he's always had this sort of image of a strong man, and now he has this image of a man who, even as he was shot, was telling his supporters to fight on. I sort of saw one, um, post on, on, on Twitter or now X, you know, from a person who was saying, well, look, you know, I've always voted for Donald Trump, but, um, you know, I will now crawl over broken glass and through fire to get this man elected. And I think that, yeah, it's certainly it's certainly sort of an image for, for the ages.

Um, I mean, it was an extraordinary image, wasn't it? I mean, I've seen him do that many, many times before, but in this particular circumstance, I think, you know, Donald Trump just sort of struck one of the most iconic poses in history, right? I mean, with these sort of fisted defiance, he's pretty much entered the halls of American history with with an image for the ages. It's a projection of strength that his supporters love. You heard them chanting and cheering as he was escorted away. And it is something that I, you know, according to some political observers, could very much help him win the white House. Um, he's always had this sort of image of a strong man, and now he has this image of a man who, even as he was shot, was telling his supporters to fight on. I sort of saw one, um, post on, on, on Twitter or now X, you know, from a person who was saying, well, look, you know, I've always voted for Donald Trump, but, um, you know, I will now crawl over broken glass and through fire to get this man elected. And I think that, yeah, it's certainly it's certainly sort of an image for, for the ages.

And can you tell me what his supporters have made of this fist raising moment by Trump and how they've used the image? I'm thinking in particular about Trump's fellow Republicans, like Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. So can you walk me through what they've said about it?

And can you tell me what his supporters have made of this fist raising moment by Trump and how they've used the image? I'm thinking in particular about Trump's fellow Republicans, like Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. So can you walk me through what they've said about it?

I mean, I guess they've all, you know, obviously reacted to the shooting with, I guess, a combination of horror, anger, defiance, prayer. Um, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Um, he basically cited, um, Trump's opponents. I think he's been paying tribute to the to the president. He basically said, you know, President Trump is stronger than his enemies. And today he showed it. Marco Rubio, he offered another sort of prayer like statement, basically saying that God protected President Trump. And then you had JD Vance, who is yet another vice presidential potential candidate, also saying that, you know, this isn't just some isolated incident. This is in something that I think will cause great division in America. You know, this is the central premise of the Biden campaign, is what he claimed and that, you know, Donald Trump is, um, you know, being pursued by the Democrats as this sort of authoritarian fascist who has to be stopped at all costs. It's basically being used by by some to sort of incite, I guess, further divisions in an already fraught election campaign. But it has certainly, you know, it's been used by his campaign to, you know, to really portray Donald Trump as, you know, a a strong man who is fighting to save the country against, you know, evil forces.

I mean, I guess they've all, you know, obviously reacted to the shooting with, I guess, a combination of horror, anger, defiance, prayer. Um, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Um, he basically cited, um, Trump's opponents. I think he's been paying tribute to the to the president. He basically said, you know, President Trump is stronger than his enemies. And today he showed it. Marco Rubio, he offered another sort of prayer like statement, basically saying that God protected President Trump. And then you had JD Vance, who is yet another vice presidential potential candidate, also saying that, you know, this isn't just some isolated incident. This is in something that I think will cause great division in America. You know, this is the central premise of the Biden campaign, is what he claimed and that, you know, Donald Trump is, um, you know, being pursued by the Democrats as this sort of authoritarian fascist who has to be stopped at all costs. It's basically being used by by some to sort of incite, I guess, further divisions in an already fraught election campaign. But it has certainly, you know, it's been used by his campaign to, you know, to really portray Donald Trump as, you know, a a strong man who is fighting to save the country against, you know, evil forces.

I mean, that's so interesting. And that makes me want to ask you, you know, how has Biden responded? And do you think this will actually make things trickier for him to attack Trump during the campaign? Because, of course, now if he attacks his opponent, he's attacking someone who has just arguably been the victim of an attempted assassination. Yeah.

I mean, that's so interesting. And that makes me want to ask you, you know, how has Biden responded? And do you think this will actually make things trickier for him to attack Trump during the campaign? Because, of course, now if he attacks his opponent, he's attacking someone who has just arguably been the victim of an attempted assassination. Yeah.

Well, I mean, Biden was at church in Delaware in his home state, when the shooting occurred. He sort of came out later, and he said that he is very grateful that Trump is safe. He said, there's, you know, no place in America for this kind of violence and denounced it as sick at.

Well, I mean, Biden was at church in Delaware in his home state, when the shooting occurred. He sort of came out later, and he said that he is very grateful that Trump is safe. He said, there's, you know, no place in America for this kind of violence and denounced it as sick at.

A rally that he should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea, the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of. It's just not appropriate. And Everybody. Everybody must condemn it.

A rally that he should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea, the idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of. It's just not appropriate. And Everybody. Everybody must condemn it.

He took the opportunity to, I guess, to call for the country to unite. He made the point that we can't allow this stuff to be happening. We can't be like this. And I think the latest notice from the white House that we got was that Biden and Trump have indeed spoken late on Saturday night here, but it is it's interesting because it was only yesterday that a very fired up Joe Biden stepped up his attack on Trump during a rally in the swing state of Michigan, called him out for, you know, quote unquote, raping a woman, referring to his civil case against the writer E Jean Carroll. He called him out for cozying up to dictators and insurrectionists. He called him out for constantly making gaps that Biden was telling us was were being ignored by the media. I mean, it was the most forceful speech that Biden has made, I think, since his state of the Union address in March. And it was obviously designed to kind of recalibrate what's been a very disastrous few weeks for the 81 year old president in the wake of the presidential debate. But now he, I guess, has to recalibrate yet again. And, you know, his campaign has paused for tonight, all outbound communications and they've, you know, sought to pull down their television ads as quickly as possible in the wake of this shooting. I think they don't want to be seen as politicizing or being overtly political in what is obviously a very, um, you know, shocking kind of moment for the nation. I think we're all pretty rocked, to be honest, by what's what's gone on in. The last thing we want to do is have, um, you know, the president or his campaign, you know, trading trading blows with with Republicans over this. So they will be recalibrating, at least for now, while we all just kind of let the dust settle and, and, um, you know, take in what's been a pretty shocking, shocking event.

He took the opportunity to, I guess, to call for the country to unite. He made the point that we can't allow this stuff to be happening. We can't be like this. And I think the latest notice from the white House that we got was that Biden and Trump have indeed spoken late on Saturday night here, but it is it's interesting because it was only yesterday that a very fired up Joe Biden stepped up his attack on Trump during a rally in the swing state of Michigan, called him out for, you know, quote unquote, raping a woman, referring to his civil case against the writer E Jean Carroll. He called him out for cozying up to dictators and insurrectionists. He called him out for constantly making gaps that Biden was telling us was were being ignored by the media. I mean, it was the most forceful speech that Biden has made, I think, since his state of the Union address in March. And it was obviously designed to kind of recalibrate what's been a very disastrous few weeks for the 81 year old president in the wake of the presidential debate. But now he, I guess, has to recalibrate yet again. And, you know, his campaign has paused for tonight, all outbound communications and they've, you know, sought to pull down their television ads as quickly as possible in the wake of this shooting. I think they don't want to be seen as politicizing or being overtly political in what is obviously a very, um, you know, shocking kind of moment for the nation. I think we're all pretty rocked, to be honest, by what's what's gone on in. The last thing we want to do is have, um, you know, the president or his campaign, you know, trading trading blows with with Republicans over this. So they will be recalibrating, at least for now, while we all just kind of let the dust settle and, and, um, you know, take in what's been a pretty shocking, shocking event.

We'll be right back. Hi. Morning edition listeners, if you're looking for a series to binge over the break, I want to recommend Trial by Water. It's a podcast by some of my colleagues at The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. It's about a man, Robert Farquharson, who was convicted of murdering his three sons by driving them into a dam, and about the people who are now questioning that conviction. Trial by Water is a compelling and informative podcast series that will make you question the way our justice system operates, so please take a listen and recommend it to your friends. Thanks. And what do we know about Trump's health now? Since he was whisked away by his Secret Service guards in the wake of being shot?

We'll be right back. Hi. Morning edition listeners, if you're looking for a series to binge over the break, I want to recommend Trial by Water. It's a podcast by some of my colleagues at The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. It's about a man, Robert Farquharson, who was convicted of murdering his three sons by driving them into a dam, and about the people who are now questioning that conviction. Trial by Water is a compelling and informative podcast series that will make you question the way our justice system operates, so please take a listen and recommend it to your friends. Thanks. And what do we know about Trump's health now? Since he was whisked away by his Secret Service guards in the wake of being shot?

Well, fortunately, he's he's safe. He's he's fine. And as as as I understand it, he will still be appearing at the Republican convention. You know, this this coming week. It's obviously the timing is is extraordinary. I mean, he's kept a deliberately low profile since the presidential debate last month. And, you know, that's obviously been a strategy on their part of the Republican campaign. Um, but this week was indeed a pivotal one for the Republican. He was going to go to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. He was going to be formally announced as the party's official candidate for the white House, alongside his pick for the vice presidential running mate. His wife, former first Lady Melania Trump, who has been noticeably absent for months, was going to make an appearance. He's fortunately, you know, safe doing well. And and that appearance will continue. From from what we know. But it's yeah, it's certainly a pretty shocking sense of a set of circumstances. I mean, I've been to more Trump rallies than I care to remember, to be honest, guys. But, um, even for someone like myself, you know, knowing how divided this country is, I must say, I've often wondered, you know, something like this. Only a matter of time. You know, it's such a divided country here. I mean, I remember, I think talking to you guys once about, you know, that chilly night in 2020 when a far right conspiracy theorist broke into the home of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer. And, you know, I was around at the time of the, you know, aftermath of the US Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights in America. And an armed man came to the House of Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh and wanted to assassinate him. And we all remember what the January 6th attack was like when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol hoping to stop Biden's election victory. But, you know, even though political violence is not new in this country, I think, you know, even seeing those images of Donald Trump getting shot as he stood on stage in Pennsylvania, I think rocked me and and many others here to the core. So it's been an extraordinary night.

Well, fortunately, he's he's safe. He's he's fine. And as as as I understand it, he will still be appearing at the Republican convention. You know, this this coming week. It's obviously the timing is is extraordinary. I mean, he's kept a deliberately low profile since the presidential debate last month. And, you know, that's obviously been a strategy on their part of the Republican campaign. Um, but this week was indeed a pivotal one for the Republican. He was going to go to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. He was going to be formally announced as the party's official candidate for the white House, alongside his pick for the vice presidential running mate. His wife, former first Lady Melania Trump, who has been noticeably absent for months, was going to make an appearance. He's fortunately, you know, safe doing well. And and that appearance will continue. From from what we know. But it's yeah, it's certainly a pretty shocking sense of a set of circumstances. I mean, I've been to more Trump rallies than I care to remember, to be honest, guys. But, um, even for someone like myself, you know, knowing how divided this country is, I must say, I've often wondered, you know, something like this. Only a matter of time. You know, it's such a divided country here. I mean, I remember, I think talking to you guys once about, you know, that chilly night in 2020 when a far right conspiracy theorist broke into the home of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer. And, you know, I was around at the time of the, you know, aftermath of the US Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights in America. And an armed man came to the House of Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh and wanted to assassinate him. And we all remember what the January 6th attack was like when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol hoping to stop Biden's election victory. But, you know, even though political violence is not new in this country, I think, you know, even seeing those images of Donald Trump getting shot as he stood on stage in Pennsylvania, I think rocked me and and many others here to the core. So it's been an extraordinary night.

I wanted to ask you about the historical context, about this particular shooting because, like you say, unfortunately, violent clashes during, you know, in the United States at all, but particularly during presidential campaigns, they're not uncommon, and they have often been marked out as times of particular unrest. I know I was reading that the 1896 election featured violent clashes. So what do you think this particular shooting now tells us about the current political or social climate in the United States?

I wanted to ask you about the historical context, about this particular shooting because, like you say, unfortunately, violent clashes during, you know, in the United States at all, but particularly during presidential campaigns, they're not uncommon, and they have often been marked out as times of particular unrest. I know I was reading that the 1896 election featured violent clashes. So what do you think this particular shooting now tells us about the current political or social climate in the United States?

I think it tells us that this is a deeply, deeply divided country. And, I mean, America has always been a fiercely sort of fractured nation, but certainly from my, you know, my experiences here, um, and talking to people on the ground as I've travelled around to battleground states, Americans sort of, you know, often tell me that they have never felt the country more divided and more polarized. Um, you know, what's driving that? Perhaps, you know, dangerous levels of, you know, extremism, radicalization, conspiracy theories fueled on social media. Sometimes the words and the actions of certain political leaders themselves, um, you know, as I said, it's always been a very hyper, hyper partisan country. But people here really do sort of see their opponents as enemies. And, and a lot of them don't trust sort of the motives and the actions of quote unquote, the other side. And I think we've reached a point in history where people think it's kind of, you know, fine to just express ideological and political views through violent acts. And, you know, you're right. I mean, these sorts of things have happened through history. But, um, I think, um, you know, America right now feels like a powder keg ready to explode. Really. And this was, um, and obviously sort of a manifestation of that.

I think it tells us that this is a deeply, deeply divided country. And, I mean, America has always been a fiercely sort of fractured nation, but certainly from my, you know, my experiences here, um, and talking to people on the ground as I've travelled around to battleground states, Americans sort of, you know, often tell me that they have never felt the country more divided and more polarized. Um, you know, what's driving that? Perhaps, you know, dangerous levels of, you know, extremism, radicalization, conspiracy theories fueled on social media. Sometimes the words and the actions of certain political leaders themselves, um, you know, as I said, it's always been a very hyper, hyper partisan country. But people here really do sort of see their opponents as enemies. And, and a lot of them don't trust sort of the motives and the actions of quote unquote, the other side. And I think we've reached a point in history where people think it's kind of, you know, fine to just express ideological and political views through violent acts. And, you know, you're right. I mean, these sorts of things have happened through history. But, um, I think, um, you know, America right now feels like a powder keg ready to explode. Really. And this was, um, and obviously sort of a manifestation of that.

I mean, this is particularly scary and in particular, what you mentioned just before about other recent targets of violence. You mentioned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and of course, her husband was attacked quite violently at their home. And I know there's other people who have sort of recently narrowly escaped violence. There was the government leaders, of course, at the riots, at the Capitol insurrection. I believe Republican Congressional Leader Steve Scalise was recently a target of violence. And in the wake of this shooting of Donald Trump, you know, I've already seen a headline in the Financial Times. Are we entering another age of political violence in the US? I mean, what do you think about that, Farrah?

I mean, this is particularly scary and in particular, what you mentioned just before about other recent targets of violence. You mentioned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and of course, her husband was attacked quite violently at their home. And I know there's other people who have sort of recently narrowly escaped violence. There was the government leaders, of course, at the riots, at the Capitol insurrection. I believe Republican Congressional Leader Steve Scalise was recently a target of violence. And in the wake of this shooting of Donald Trump, you know, I've already seen a headline in the Financial Times. Are we entering another age of political violence in the US? I mean, what do you think about that, Farrah?

I mean, I think we're in one. I mean, all the all those incidents that you've just sort of raised of have happened in recent years. You know, the January 6th attack, Pelosi's husband being bludgeoned in his home, you know, the scale of violence and assassination attempts against Supreme Court judges, justices, even the fact that, you know, you've got Capitol Police figures, you know, basically saying that, you know, the number of recorded threats against members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle have skyrocketed. I think, you know, I think from memory last year alone, there were about, you know, 9600 threats against members of the House and Senate compared to half of that in 2017. So we are looking at a very sort of, you know, uptick in political violence, an uptick in political rhetoric, radicalization, extremism. Um, and I can't see it getting any better, to be honest. Certainly not after today.

I mean, I think we're in one. I mean, all the all those incidents that you've just sort of raised of have happened in recent years. You know, the January 6th attack, Pelosi's husband being bludgeoned in his home, you know, the scale of violence and assassination attempts against Supreme Court judges, justices, even the fact that, you know, you've got Capitol Police figures, you know, basically saying that, you know, the number of recorded threats against members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle have skyrocketed. I think, you know, I think from memory last year alone, there were about, you know, 9600 threats against members of the House and Senate compared to half of that in 2017. So we are looking at a very sort of, you know, uptick in political violence, an uptick in political rhetoric, radicalization, extremism. Um, and I can't see it getting any better, to be honest. Certainly not after today.

And this is really shocking, isn't it? A presidential candidate, because, of course, the last time we saw a president or a presidential candidate shot was 43 years ago. That, of course, was then American President Ronald Reagan. That was 1981. He nearly died. And I'm interested in what you think about this, because I know afterwards, commentators speculated that, you know, he was very graceful under fire, and that actually helped him solidify the support and the affection of the American people. And you're you're there in Washington, D.C., and obviously, it's just in the aftermath. I'm sure the dominant emotion must be shock, but are you getting any sense that this is sort of perhaps culminating as well, this feeling of, you know, empathy and affection for Trump in the wake of obviously, this horrible incident?

And this is really shocking, isn't it? A presidential candidate, because, of course, the last time we saw a president or a presidential candidate shot was 43 years ago. That, of course, was then American President Ronald Reagan. That was 1981. He nearly died. And I'm interested in what you think about this, because I know afterwards, commentators speculated that, you know, he was very graceful under fire, and that actually helped him solidify the support and the affection of the American people. And you're you're there in Washington, D.C., and obviously, it's just in the aftermath. I'm sure the dominant emotion must be shock, but are you getting any sense that this is sort of perhaps culminating as well, this feeling of, you know, empathy and affection for Trump in the wake of obviously, this horrible incident?

I think, look, I think people here are just, you know, obviously shocked at the moment. Whatever your political views are, nobody wants to see this sort of happen to a political candidate ever, let alone one of the, if not the most famous political candidate in the world. It will obviously change the contours of the election race, but we will see what he sort of remarks are on that. But in terms of the way in which Joe Biden has responded, there has been a level of, you know, empathy. A lot of as as they say, thoughts and prayers. Um, but I guess we'll see in coming days how it plays out and what his response is like and whether he will use it to sort of ramp up his own base and to his benefit, which is something that, you know, he has a tendency to do. But I guess, you know, we'll see. But whatever the case that this is obviously going to, I think, be, um, you know, yet another, um, another incident that will further divide an already fractured country. So it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. You know, I kept thinking, wow, you know what if what if I'd actually been there? And what if he had been shot and killed? You know, I can't help but think there'd probably be people rioting in the streets right now. I mean, nobody wants to see a former president or any political candidate for that matter, being assassinated in front of their eyes, let alone in the heat of an election campaign. Um, that could have been a real tipping point for this country, and I'm glad we're not at that point and that you know that he's safe.

I think, look, I think people here are just, you know, obviously shocked at the moment. Whatever your political views are, nobody wants to see this sort of happen to a political candidate ever, let alone one of the, if not the most famous political candidate in the world. It will obviously change the contours of the election race, but we will see what he sort of remarks are on that. But in terms of the way in which Joe Biden has responded, there has been a level of, you know, empathy. A lot of as as they say, thoughts and prayers. Um, but I guess we'll see in coming days how it plays out and what his response is like and whether he will use it to sort of ramp up his own base and to his benefit, which is something that, you know, he has a tendency to do. But I guess, you know, we'll see. But whatever the case that this is obviously going to, I think, be, um, you know, yet another, um, another incident that will further divide an already fractured country. So it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. You know, I kept thinking, wow, you know what if what if I'd actually been there? And what if he had been shot and killed? You know, I can't help but think there'd probably be people rioting in the streets right now. I mean, nobody wants to see a former president or any political candidate for that matter, being assassinated in front of their eyes, let alone in the heat of an election campaign. Um, that could have been a real tipping point for this country, and I'm glad we're not at that point and that you know that he's safe.

Well, it is truly a shocking moment, but we're lucky to have your very sane views on this. So thank you so much for your time.

Well, it is truly a shocking moment, but we're lucky to have your very sane views on this. So thank you so much for your time.

You are very welcome.

You are very welcome.

Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Julia Katzel. The Morning Edition is a production of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoy the show and want more of our journalism, subscribe to our newspapers today. It's the best way to support what we do. Search the age or Smh.com.au forward slash. Subscribe and sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a comprehensive summary of the day's most important news, analysis and insights in your inbox every day. Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris. This is the morning edition. Thanks for listening.

Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Julia Katzel. The Morning Edition is a production of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoy the show and want more of our journalism, subscribe to our newspapers today. It's the best way to support what we do. Search the age or Smh.com.au forward slash. Subscribe and sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a comprehensive summary of the day's most important news, analysis and insights in your inbox every day. Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Samantha Salinger Morris. This is the morning edition. Thanks for listening.