Once the news of Saturday’s failed assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump, broadcast live on TV, began to spread, people worldwide started browsing media sites. One image quickly, almost spontaneously, took center stage on social media: Trump’s defiant pose, face bloodied, and fist in the air against the background of the US flag, giving it an almost nostalgic, film-like poster of courage. Iconic, they labeled it, almost reverentially.
Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, first posted it without a caption. Absent any description and context, his millions of followers could only interpret it as he intended—for the perception he wanted to maintain of his country: that of courageous leaders, unbent, unbowed. Seconds later, he doubled down on that, featuring a video version of it on his X post endorsing Donald Trump for president.
But there was a second image—one that Elon Musk only reposted from another account, captioned by the original author to manipulate the nuance in a manner as not to suggest fear or weakness. This image shows Trump on his knees, his bloodied face contorted in terror, crouching in desperate fear for his life, his blood-stained hands frantically groping for reassurance beneath the protective bodies of his secret service agents. It’s an image of fear, of weakness. Who could have imagined such an image of a former US president and current presidential candidate? Who could have imagined seeing an American leader terrified for his life?
This is not an indictment of Trump as a person, but a reminder of the fragility inherent in every man. If you watch the video of the events after the bullets rang out, you see clearly that the first image was taken while secret service agents were escorting Trump to safety. In what seems an afterthought, Trump realizes he needs to make the most of the moment and, upon that realization, forces his face out and fist up within the protective hold of his security detail. So, in a way, that so-called iconic image was the product of a savvy politician exploiting a moment to artificially project a particular persona.
But the second image, in fact the first in terms of event precedence, taken seconds after Trump took cover following the shot that grazed his ear and before the second image when he was being escorted to safety, reveals the fragility and frailty of men. It is a stark reminder that we are all made of flesh and blood and that no man, however rich and powerful, is beyond the clutches of fear, desperation, and even death. Why is this important? Because this is the reality—not an occasional one, but a daily one for millions of children in Gaza, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and every corner of the world where Americans are exporting anarchy and abetting war.
That image of a crouching Trump may not be in the interest of the American elite as it shows weakness and deviates from the iron-clad image of Americans that they have sold to the world. But for the American people, if only their press could plaster it before them, it would be a somber reminder of the same fear that their government is causing for millions of children, mothers, and young people thousands of miles away—a reminder of their own expendability. Perhaps then they might lose the gluttonous appetite for causing the same elsewhere.
Regardless, that image should be plastered on the streets in Gaza, painted on murals and billboards in Syria, and displayed in every corner of the world where millions of children daily endure pain, fear of death, and terror under American sponsorship. It should serve as a stark reminder that their tormentors are no different from them, that they too have fear and weakness, that they too are mortal.
For the rest of Africa, the assassination attempt should further reveal the vulnerabilities and contradictions within Western democracy, stripping away its perceived infallibility. One can only imagine if such an attempt on the life of a presidential candidate were to occur in an African country! We would undoubtedly be labeled as backward, savage, and incapable of governing ourselves. Calls for investigations and sanctions would follow swiftly. Ironically, I can’t recall the last time an attempt was made on the life of an African presidential candidate, suggesting that perhaps, we are actually better at democracy than the US!
Above all, this experience demonstrates once again that for Africa to progress, we must prioritize home-grown governance systems. This is precisely what China has done, resulting in significant economic, political, and military strength. Russia has followed a similar path. We see analogous efforts in countries like Eritrea and Rwanda – worthy examples to emulate.
Things that make you go “hmm…” I’m still trying to figure out…First of all why it took so long for his “protection detail” took so long in getting him off the stage. In other assassinations/attempted assassinations against presidential figures in the U.S., the Secret Service moved into action immediately and removed the targets of the attempts away from the scene. Why were they just standing there as if they were posing. These are definitely NOT men making evasive maneuvers to immediately get Trump out of harms way. The other curiosity – I’m still trying to figure out how he was even GRAZED on the ear by a bullet without – at minimum, being struck on his cheek as well. The “shooter” would had to be positioned DIRECTLY behind him (whatever he distance) in order for a bullet not to strike him ONLY on his ear. The apparent alleged “gunshot” was made at an angle, not from directly behind him… Time will tell but first impressions ae a bit dubious…