Trump Utters Two Predictable Words After Second Assassination Attempt

Donald Trump was the apparent target of a second assassination attempt on the afternoon of September 15, 2024. The former president was heading toward the sixth hole at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel and "engaged" with its wielder, per CNN; the alleged gunman fled the scene but was quickly tracked down, and is in custody at this writing.

It was an eerie echo of the terrifying attempt on Trump's life at a rally in Pennsylvania just two months earlier, which left an audience member dead and Trump's ear injured. The echo extended to Trump's reaction, too. His campaign office issued a statement (seen here on X, aka Twitter), which assured the public "I AM SAFE AND WELL!" and went on to say, "Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!" Similarly, after the Pennsylvania attack, the divisive politician uttered a rallying cry of "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as he was led to safety.

MAGA supporters took up the call. "This man is fighting for all of us," tweeted an admirer, reposting the now-famous photo of Trump standing with his fist raised. Another cried, "My God, how much does this man have to give up for his country?"

Once again, Donald Trump escaped danger and emerged more determined than ever to ensure a victory at the polls in November. And once again, he emerged no more humble than before. Just as Trump proved his first concern was himself after the first assassination attempt, he released a second message on his website which was downright biblical in its wording. "I am Donald J. Trump. FEAR NOT!" the announcement began. "I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. Thank God! But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us. I will not stop fighting for you. I will Never Surrender! I will always love you for supporting me. Through our UNITY we will Make America Great Again!"

The bold statement was somewhat marred, however, by what followed: a call for campaign funding, with suggested amounts ranging from $24 to $3,300 and above. A crawl on the screen showed real-time donations (Denise D. offered $24.98). Meidas Touch's Ron Filipkowski shared the website screenshot, which elicited plenty of eye-rolling. "I'm donating thoughts and prayers ..." said a follower. In reply, another writer poked fun at the speech Trump's running mate, JD Vance, made following the recent school shooting in Georgia: "I've moved on to a shoulder shrug and 'it's a fact of life' as words of comfort."

Naturally concerned for their patriarch, Donald Trump's children and extended family are taking to social media to express their reactions on this latest frightening incident. Namesake Donald Trump Jr. reposted the campaign announcement with the captions "Again folks!" and "It never ends." Kimberly Guilfoyle, Don Jr.'s fiancée, posted a picture on her Instagram Stories showing a group of people laying hands in prayer on her future father-in-law. "Pray for this man. Pray for our country," she wrote. 

Middle son Eric Trump had an apparent change of heart: He too posted the initial announcement on X with the caption "Serious change is needed," then reposted his father's statement without the comment. "You edited the post because you don't want 'serious change' anymore?" asked pundit Art Candee.

As of this writing, the former first lady hadn't yet issued a statement. However, since Melania offered support for Trump in an excerpt from her upcoming book, maybe her editors are working on inserting a last-minute update.