For news channels across the Saturday was nothing short of excitement. Thanks to the attempted assassination of former US president, Donald Trump.
On Saturday, a shot missed former US president Donald Trump and passed and hit the upper portion of his right ear at a fairground near Butler, Pennsylvania while addressing a campaign. Trump, who is in the race to be the nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, was taken to a waiting vehicle after shots were fired. Later, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) named 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crook as the person who shot at the former US president. The news was covered widely by various media organisations. BrandWagon Online takes a look at some of the coverage. (news platforms mentioned below, have been picked randomly).
The BBC: The BBC filed a detailed article on the attacker of Trump and reported how the US Secret Service is facing questions after an assassination attempt was made against Trump. BBC also exclusively interviewed a self-claimed witness who claimed to have warned police of a gunman on the roof It’s writer Frank Gardner and James FitzGerald wrote an article titled, ‘Secret Service Has Questions to Answer for Failing to Stop Trump Gunman.’
The Guardian: The Guardian, a British daily newspaper also filed an article titled, ‘Questions mount over shooter’s ability to access roof despite security presence at Trump rally’. They also reported how world leaders condemned political violence which included statements from British, Indian, Japanese, Israeli, and Australian prime ministers among many others. They also published an editorial article titled, ‘The Guardian view on Trump’s shooting: America’s future must be set by voters, not the gun.’
The CNN : The Cable News Network also known as CNN also covered this incident and questioned the role of the US security service. They also published an article where CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem said President Joe Biden should put US Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle ‘on leave’. Apart from this article, they also published an analytical piece titled, ‘A nation traumatised and a campaign transformed as Trump is set to reemerge’ .”
’Al Jazeera English: The news channel under Al Jazeera Media Network which is primarily funded by the government of Qatar, also covered the incident. . They wrote a story that gave a minute-by-minute timeline of what happened at the rally shooting. Al Jazeera’s coverage seemed to be more focused on the election context as they emphasized the updates regarding the event connecting it with the assassination incident. They also published an opinion article titled ‘What the Trump Assassination Attempt Means for US Politics.’The article written by Christopher Rhodes, a lecturer in government and social sciences at Harvard and Boston University, respectively, stated, “The spotlight shifting to Trump is ironically what the Biden campaign wants as well. The focus on the incumbent’s fitness for office and cognitive abilities has eaten away at his support. The hope is now that all the attention on Trump will highlight his extremism, legal troubles, and his party’s far-right agenda, detailed in the extensive Project 2025 plan, from which he has unsuccessfully tried to distance himself. The Democrats believe that this could encourage swing voters to move away from him.”
DD: Contrary to the views expressed in Al Jazeera’s opinion article, Indian state-owned news television channel DD News published an article titled, ‘Biden, Democrats scramble after trump rally shooting upends campaign.’ Apart from publishing articles on the suspected assassin’s whataboutery, DD News also published an article on PM Modi’s reaction to the shocking incident which showcased how the Indian Prime Minister was concerned by the attack on his ‘friend’ Trump. They also published an article titled, ‘US Leaders Who Were Killed or Survived Assassination Attempts’.