The immediate reaction of an acquaintance to Donald Trump’s fist-pumping defiance after yesterday’s assassination attempt: ‘It’s over.’ … He was referring to a now probable Donald Trump victory in November, propelled partly by yesterday’s dramatic events and the former president’s display of angry determination. The event will generate more than a sympathy vote for Trump. It will generate a vote of admiration among some, if not many, toss-up voters. The past few weeks’ debate over Biden’s age now seem utterly inconsequential. …

This is a somewhat weird NYT piece on Trump’s physical reaction to the assassination attempt yesterday. Its initial tone and language seemed to suggest the ex-president was more concerned about mugging for the camera while he was collectively bear-hugged by the secret service agents. Then it backs off and non-judgmentally refers to his “instincts” and “visceral connection with his supporters.” No mention of possible admirable traits displayed by Trump, such as presence of mind and actual courage, mixed with understandable confusion, shock, normal weird thoughts (“Let me get my shoes”) etc. …

… Personally, I’m anti-Trump for many, many reasons. I’m one of those who thinks he’s a threat to our democracy. If elected to a second term, he will deliberately set out to test the strengths and durability of our democratic institutions, I’m convinced. But yesterday he shattered one notion of mine – that he was a physical coward. Yesterday proved that notion wrong. … 

President Biden’s brief post-shooting comments were OK. Mildly reassuring. But that’s about it. Nothing lofty. No Peggy Noonan-like eloquence capturing the shock and sadness of the moment. He appears to have appeared merely because he was supposed to appear.