Foreign policy expert assesses US political divide after Trump assassination attempt

In the wake of the recent assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania, foreign affairs expert Robindar Sachdev reflects on the growing political divide in the United States.

Addressing the deep-rooted hostility in American politics, Sachdev said, “Violence is never the solution, but sometimes it happens.” The incident, in which Trump narrowly escaped a fatal bullet, has raised concerns about the volatile atmosphere in American political discourse.

“The divisions in America right now are probably so deep that both sides are very angry at each other and both sides are very afraid of each other.

Foreign expert Sachdev told ANI on Monday, “So the Republican conservatives, they are very afraid of the Biden Democrats, and similarly, the Biden Democrats and the leftists are very afraid of Trump, that if he/she comes, what will he/she do to our country?”

“Here you have Biden and MAGA (Make America Great Again), people who want to make America great again in their vision of America being a Christian country and going back to the old values ​​and total isolationism,” Sachdev, founding president of New Delhi-based The Imaginedia Institute, told ANI, highlighting the ideological gulf that is fuelling tensions between conservative and liberal factions.

After the attack, which left one rally attendee dead and two others badly injured, a bloodied Trump was quickly carried away by Secret Service agents. “The bullet hit me right above my ear,” Trump said in a statement to the press on Sunday.

In response to the incident, President Joe Biden called for unity and peaceful political engagement. “In America, we settle our differences not with bullets, but at the ballot box,” Biden said, urging restraint and dialogue in the face of growing political conflict.

Reflecting on Biden’s remarks, foreign policy expert Sachdev acknowledged the importance of leadership in calming turbulent waters. “President Biden is saying the right thing at the right time and that is important. Leaders have to rise up, especially in times of tragedies and disasters,” he/she said.

However, Sachdev warned that a ceasefire in rhetoric may not mean immediate peace among ardent supporters of both sides. “Leaders may appeal for calm or restraint for the time being, even Trump is saying the same thing,” he/she said, underlining the enduring polarisation among grassroots supporters.

The FBI has identified the gunman responsible for the assassination attempt as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene. The ongoing investigation seeks to determine the motive behind the attack and assess its broader implications for national security.

“Political disputes must be resolved through dialogue,” Sachdev stressed, acknowledging historical instances where conflicts have turned violent. “The world and perhaps even the Americans themselves have forgotten slavery, the Civil War. A civil war was needed inside the US to end slavery,” Sachdev warned against underestimating the potential for violence amid the deepening divide.