Something has shifted in the perception of Donald J. Trump. Even before the assassination attempt last weekend, there seemed to be a quelling of the crime and dystopian associations being levied his way in the media and online. It is perplexing in a sense, given his loss in the Stormy Daniels’ court case and the the amping up of rhetoric by the Biden campaign (vis a vis Project ’25 and January 6th), but it seems those matters just aren’t registering the way many would hope. Instead what’s emerging is the picture of a strong leader ready to get business done. Is this a genuine re-evaluation? Collective amnesia? Or simply, the more interesting narrative to be pushed forward?

Well, it’s always going to be a mix of the three isn’t it? With regards this re-evaluation, I’d argue some are falsely equating the stronger economy of the late 2010s with his successes, even though these changes take years to manifest. Since everything’s so polarised nowadays however, one can see why confusion would abound when Biden points to the deficit Trump established as an excuse for the poor state of things now. Inflation’s been covered suitably in the last several articles so I won’t delve into it here but basically “perception becomes reality”. So even though it’s unfair, Biden will undoubtedly be associated with the high inflation rates of 2022 where Trump will be with pre-Covid.

Then with the collective amnesia, there’s a tendency to forget the details of the past and look to the present and future with any president. Despite George HW Bush’s success with the Gulf War for example (leading to a 90% approval rating), it didn’t much matter a couple of year later when (again), the economy took priority. So many of the controversies of the Trump presidency have faded into the background; with his handling of Covid almost wilfully dismissed as a “strange anomalous time for everybody,… who knows what was going on then”. January 6th is more surprising. The democrats have relentlessly pursued that in making a case against Trump but to seemingly less effect each year. Maybe it just wasn’t consequential enough for the average voter to care: shocking to be seen but nothing to be concerned about on a day-to-day basis. I would argue this remains a concerning moment, in building on (rather than diminishing) the cult of Trump but alas, it seems things will have to escalate for that to become clear. It’s always a matter of urgency with these things.

Tied into January 6th now is of course the assassination attempt. The shooter’s motives remain ambiguous (registered Republican, otherwise liberal?) but Trump’s supporters will nevertheless have a point of contention when arguing for extremism on both sides; e.g. Biden calling for a “cooldown of rhetoric is rich given the existential threat he keeps pushing with Trump”. And given Trump survived and emerged for that photo op, it’s very difficult for anyone to portray him as anything but a fighter. It fits a narrative so well that it feels like the race is essentially over. His proclamation that “God was on his side” (despite someone dying at the same rally) should ring alarm bells but instead it seems to have struck a chord at the Republican National Convention this week, where a party stands unified. 

Naturally, we can’t talk about the narrative of Trump’s survival then without touching on the decline of Joe Biden. That’s where the media has pivoted most, even with those who traditionally backed him. Until that debate, I still believed Biden had a chance at re-election, had he given a strong performance and exposed Trump for his lies. But… well, let’s just say that last article on the debate has already aged like milk. Biden’s cognitive decline has been spotlighted everywhere from CNN to The Daily Show and he’s highly unlikely to recover. As it stands, he looks to be heading down the Ruth Bader Ginsburg road of leaving the stage well after he should’ve, securing a goal for the other side. With that said… to offer a glimpse of hope for a Democratic victory; the election is not over. And just as things have so dramatically shifted in the last month or so, there’s time for them to make a comeback. But it won’t be with Joe Biden and likely, not Kamala Harris either. Rather, with an open convention next month, they could introduce a new (younger) candidate to stand up and take the cameras away from Trump and offer something fresh and exciting. It would be the “twist” the media would devour; a necessary move in my opinion, for if nothing else, Trump knows how to play the media.