Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a fairground rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. One bullet grazed his left ear and others whizzed past him, one killing retired volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50. He died heroically, protecting his wife and daughter.
“He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us. He loved his family,” his daughter Allyson wrote on Facebook. “He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.”
Comperatore’s action was recognized by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who ordered flags at state buildings lowered to half-mast, and by President Joe Biden, in a condolence message.
“He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired and he lost his life, G-d love him,” said Biden.
Comperatore attended the rally to see his political hero in person, and his social media record aligns solidly with the Republican platform.
In his choice for president, Comperatore supported deporting illegal immigrants and terminating military aid for Ukraine. He would certainly have been satisfied with Trump's pick of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate two days after surviving a lone shooter’s death wish.
Vance’s biography speaks of pulling up by the bootstraps. Raised by his grandmother in rust belt poverty as his mother struggled with drug addiction, the 39-year-old’s story of military service was followed by Yale Law School and success in business. He wrote about his experiences in the 2016 bestseller memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which was later adapted into a movie. He was elected to the Senate in 2022, winning all but 8 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Trump’s choice of a millennial running mate poses a formidable challenge to Biden’s reelection. As he had done with his picks for the Supreme Court, Trump is playing the long-term game with a young and ideologically reliable partner whose life story is relatable and inspiring for voters seeking a turnaround for their lives and this country.
Considering his brief record as a lawmaker, Vance is best-known for two things: comparing Trump to Hitler and his disregard for Ukraine. On the first item, it was in the context of Trump’s first run for office in 2016, when he described Trump as “America’s Hitler,” a “moral disaster,” and “cultural heroin.”
Vance has since scrubbed his social media of anti-Trump remarks and earned his endorsement when he ran for Senate. Perhaps he recognized Trump’s popularity and fell in line with his party, putting aside moral reservations. “I think he was a good president; I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak,” he said during his campaign.
Although there has been talk among some Democratic insiders about replacing Biden and Harris with a more electable pair, I do not share their fear of Trump and Vance winning in a Reaganesque landslide. The incumbent should focus on positions taken by Vance that are deeply unpopular with most Americans.
On abortion, most Americans are pro-choice, while Republicans argue that it is up to each state to determine the legality of abortion, which in practice is anti-abortion when a woman must travel across state lines to have this procedure.
The failed assassination could have been a moment for reflection on the easy access to guns in this country, but Vance and his party remain opposed to toughening gun restrictions.
Concerning foreign aid, Vance is a staunch supporter of Israel, but not Ukraine. “I’m supportive of Israel and their war against Hamas. I certainly admire the Ukrainians who are fighting against Russia, but I do not think that it is in America’s interest to continue to fund an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine,” he said at a Quincy Institute event in May. “It’s sort of weird that this town assumes that Israel and Ukraine are exactly the same. They’re not, of course, and I think it’s important to analyze them in separate buckets.”
I cannot imagine an administration that would abruptly cut off aid to Ukraine as it struggles to survive, let alone suspending our 75-year commitments as a founding member of NATO. Likewise with Taiwan, a democracy whose survival is largely thanks to American weapons and trade. Without our support, it would suffer the same fate as Hong Kong, in which the promise of “one country, two systems” was not kept by China.
Vance spoke of Israel as “one of the most dynamic and technologically advanced countries in the world” and “a very important national security objective of the United States of America.” He added that his Christian faith and Israel’s position as a counterweight to Iran, also make it worthy of American support.
As with Mr. Trump, I express hakaras ha’tov to Vance for his support for Israel, giving it complete freedom to fight against terrorism without any limitations. But when I vote, my choice is based on the sum of all policies rather than one issue.
I look forward to a spirited debate between Vance and Kamala Harris. In contrast to the presidential candidates, this contest will truly determine where this country is headed in 2024 and beyond.
By Sergey Kadinsky
