As RedState reported, Donald Trump made an appearance at the Republican National Convention Monday, strolling into Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum to wild applause from the attendees just two days after an attempted assassin tried (and thankfully failed) to end his life.
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Video of the moment showed Trump entering the arena like it was just another day at the office, except there was an edge to his stride. The music playing in the background was Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
For those who missed it, watch:
READ MORE:Donald Trump Makes Powerful Appearance at First Night of Republican National Convention
The bandage, of course, was partially over Trump’s right ear because it was pierced by the gunman’s bullet.
As we also reported, just how close Trump came to being assassinated was emphasized by Israeli Special Operations veteran Aaron Cohen, who told Fox News, “It’s very clear to me that had the president’s head been straight, and if that round had gone into the ear, it would have been lights out. The fact that he just happened to be turned this way with that shot coming in is what saved his life.”
So with that in mind and with the shock of what happened still fresh for most Americans, you’d think Trump’s ear bandage would have been just something mentioned in passing in news coverage, a sobering reminder of the battle scar that he now possesses courtesy of a deranged person who had murder on his mind but who failed thanks to an incredibly timely turn of Trump’s head.
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But the TDS sufferers at MSNBC saw it differently, as evidenced for instance by host Ari Melber declaring that ultimately the bandage was a calculated part of the “spectacle” Trump was allegedly trying to present. To back up his argument, Melber referenced a piece from a New York Times TV critic who said Trump, in his first major appearance since the attempted assassination, “was his own biggest prop” thanks in part to the ear bandage:
You could hardly script a more stark proof-of-life moment as what you see here when he stepped out. And the reality is, this is a human being who was almost shot to death on live TV in front of his supporters and family this weekend.
And yet this is also showmanship by a politician known for his mastery of what they call unscripted reality TV. Taking this supremely visible seat in the VIP box with his new running mate and party leaders and a long-time TV personality, Tucker Carlson up there as well last night.
Here’s how The New York Times put it: “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassin’s bullet. A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival – it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.”
That’s fair. A placard for delegates to fill in, an image for political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who we know is – by his own admission – obsessed with assorted spectacles.
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Fox News media critic Joe Concha ripped Melber to shreds over the commentary, at one point telling him to “go to hell” for insinuating that the bandage was all for show.
Watch the Melber clip and then Concha’s reaction to it below:
Judging by that, it sounds like maybe Mika and Joe weren’t the only MSNBC hosts the network should have yanked off the air this week. Good grief. Then again, it’s refreshing in an odd way when these people confirm for us who they really are.