ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — In the first assassination attempt on a U.S. president since the shooting of Ronald Reagan in 1981, former President Donald Trump was shot during a campaign rally Saturday evening.
A bullet grazed his ear, one bystander is dead and two are critically injured.
Augustana College Professor of Political Science Paul Baumgardner expects a jump in popularity for the former president. In historical assassinations and assassination attempts on U.S. presidents, those presidents enjoyed an increase in popularity. Trump's will likely be even stronger with the Republican National Convention starting Monday.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm and strong fealty to him, I think after this assassination attempt, there's going to be even stronger attachment to him," Baumgardner said.
The images from the immediate aftermath may also give him a boost. Baumgardner said they play into a martyr-hood narrative.
"Here you have an individual who is raising his fist while being covered with Secret Service agents, there's an American flag flying in the background," Baumgardner said. "I think that’s all free campaigning, that’s all free advertisement."
He said the event will also affect how the Biden campaign proceeds.
"A lot of the messaging in recent months is that this is a vote for democracy," Baumgardner said. "I think there’s going to be a growing call, both within the party but also outside the party, maybe to temper some of that rhetoric, out of concern that there are those within America that view that as a call for extreme measures."
He said both parties could use the event to bolster policy positions as well.
"If it turns out that in addition to the casualty from yesterday, there’s another fatality that ends up being reported, the two candidates could frame this event as one linked to their own views on crime," Baumgardner said. "I’d like to see whether or not future advertisements, political ads from the Trump campaign end up focusing on crime in the U.S."
Baumgardner said Republican calls for gun control aren't likely, but if Trump makes that decision, some of the party could follow him.
Rock Island native William Albracht is a former Secret Service agent. He worked with President Gerald Ford up to President George W. Bush. He says the shooting will change security measures for Trump.
"Usually a former president's detail is based - it's less staff because you got more assets to the president - it's based on the threat," Albracht said. "Trump's had the threats, so that just proves that they need all the protection that they can give him."
He said the smaller detail may be why agents didn't stop the shooter before he fired, but counter-snipers were in place.
"He started shooting, they were on him. Within a millisecond he was he was out of the picture," Albracht said.
He said whether or not Trump continues interacting with the public is up to him, not the Secret Service.
"The protectee is the ultimate caller of shots as far as- 'I'm going to go into this crowd.'" Albracht said. "Alright, we're going in with you, we'll do the best we can."
Albracht said the agents who surrounded Trump did exactly as they were trained to do and deserve recognition for their response.
In response to the attack on the former president, President Joe Biden's re-election campaign has pulled all attack ads off the air nationwide. President Biden also said that he's "grateful to hear former President Trump is safe and doing well."
He's "praying for him and his family, and for all those who were at the rally, as we wait further information."
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