NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former President Donald Trump with blood on his face is the scary image coming out of Pennsylvania.
Saturday night, the entire country reacted to the news of gunshots going off while Trump was speaking at a rally.
Authorities said the situation is being investigated as an assassination attempt on Trump’s life. A rally attendee was killed and the shooter is dead. That’s in addition to two other spectators who were critically injured.
Old Dominion University Associate Political Science Professor Benjamin Melusky spoke with 10 On Your Side about the scary situation.
“I’m just horrified,” Melusky said. “I mean, any element of political violence is uncalled for, irrespective of, you know, who you are, your party, what you might have said, whatever it is uncalled for especially in a civil, democratic society.”
He went on to say that this moment speaks volumes about our country’s political atmosphere.
“It’s a sad, sad reality of the political situation we’re in,” Melusky said. “I mean we’ve really been pushing the boundaries of political polarization and very fiery rhetoric.”
Trump was rushed off of the stage with blood on the side of his face, first stopping to raise his fist in the air as if to say, “I’m alright.”
The picture has garnered a lot of attention across all social media platforms.
But does Melusky think this moment can work in Trump’s favor for the upcoming election?
“The reality is they [assassination attempts on former or current U.S. Presidents] are such a rare occurrence in the United States that it’s tough to say, would anything like this move the needle one way or the other,” Melusky said.
Thankfully, Trump’s campaign team released a statement saying he’s fine and is being checked out at a medical facility.
Melusky also commented on what he thought would be the smartest move for President Joe Biden to make not only as Trump’s political opponent, but also as the head of the country.
“As the head of his party right now, it is to show an image of strength, show an image of understanding,” Melusky said.
Biden released a statement saying in part, “There’s no place in America for this type of violence.”
House Speaker Don Scott sent 10 On Your Side a statement reading, “There is no place for violence in politics. We’re praying for President Trump and his family is in our thoughts and prayers.”
Melusky said this scary situation is something we as citizens must learn from in order to do better for our country.
“I think it’s teaching us that we’ve really pushed the boundaries of political polarization,” he said. “We really do have to take a step back.”