MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump's biggest skill — perhaps his only real skill — is mugging for a camera. His first instinct, upon being nicked by a would-be assassin's bullet, was not to run for safety and certainly not to worry about those in the audience who were seriously injured or killed. No, it was to maximize the photo opp, raising his fist in a reality TV-style imitation of "defiance," as blood streaked through his make-up. The pictures sent a shockwave of fear and dread through the coalition of democracy defenders. Trump is already the cult leader of an increasingly fascist movement. The concern is that the attempt on his life will propel him to new levels of messianic power over his slavish followers.
Trump is leaning into this with all the subtlety of a pro wrestler. In a video that leaked Tuesday, Trump is heard on speakerphone talking to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his injury, which he described as like being bitten by "the world’s largest mosquito." But when Trump showed up at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Monday night, he was sporting a comically oversized bandage on his ear. The crowd responded by chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!"
