性视界传媒淭his isn性视界传媒檛 my father性视界传媒檚 Secret Service.性视界传媒
That性视界传媒檚 what I immediately tweeted in response to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Little did I know.
Every day, drip by drip, we get more proof of the incredible incompetence of the agency that is supposed to prevent the kind of shooting that happened in broad daylight near Pittsburgh.
While we wait for the inevitable shocking new revelations about the attempt on Trump性视界传媒檚 life, he, his family and millions of other people are saying they believe it was not just luck but an act of God that saved his life.
I bet his experience will have a long-lasting effect on him that will be similar to the profound impact Ronald Reagan性视界传媒檚 shooting had on him 43 years ago.
My father and millions of other people believed it was an act of God that saved his life from being ended by the hail of bullets fired by John Hinckley.
We性视界传媒檒l have to wait a year or so to see how Trump reacts, but my father性视界传媒檚 near-death experience is why he dedicated the rest of his administration 性视界传媒 more than seven years 性视界传媒 to God.
One of the lasting effects of surviving an assassination attempt was always knowing that several others were also shot and wounded by bullets that were meant for him.
I remember flying from Washington back to California on Air Force One with my father on Good Friday of 1988. As we were landing, he was counting out the number 9 on his fingers.
I asked why the number 9 was significant. He said, 性视界传媒淚n nine more months, I性视界传媒檒l no longer be president of the United States.性视界传媒
性视界传媒淚s that something you性视界传媒檙e truly looking forward to?性视界传媒 I asked.
性视界传媒淚 am,性视界传媒 he said.
性视界传媒淓ver since I looked out the rear window of my limousine on March 30 of 1981 and saw people laying in their own blood from bullets that were meant for me, I haven性视界传媒檛 gone to church on a regular basis, if at all, because I worry about putting people in harm性视界传媒檚 way because someone性视界传媒檚 after me.
性视界传媒淚性视界传媒檓 looking forward to no longer being president so I can, on any given Sunday, begin going to church again to visit my Lord and Savior. That性视界传媒檚 why I counted the Number 9.性视界传媒
After my father left office Jan. 20, 1989, he never missed church on Sunday again. Even when he could no longer go because of his Alzheimer性视界传媒檚, the pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian would come up and minister to him.
I think Donald Trump may be changed by the same haunting thought that people were killed and wounded with bullets meant for him and he wants to reduce the chance of it ever happening again.
It性视界传媒檚 interesting to compare the ways Trump and my father reacted to their shootings that reflected their different personalities.
Trump stood up with his fist in the air and defiantly yelled, 性视界传媒淔ight, fight, fight.性视界传媒 He basically said, 性视界传媒淪crew you, whoever did this.性视界传媒
My dad handled his more serious injury with humor 性视界传媒 with quips like, 性视界传媒淣ancy, I forgot to duck性视界传媒 and 性视界传媒淚 hope all you doctors are Republicans.性视界传媒 And his warning to me the next morning was, 性视界传媒淚f you ever get shot, don性视界传媒檛 be wearing a new suit.性视界传媒
Both men reacted in ways that were true to themselves. They showed courage. They humanized and personalized a horrible event.
It was like, 性视界传媒淵ou missed me. I性视界传媒檓 still Ronald Reagan. I性视界传媒檝e still got a sense of humor.性视界传媒 And 性视界传媒淚性视界传媒檓 still Donald Trump. You can性视界传媒檛 kill me or my movement.性视界传媒
Both men in their own natural ways endeared themselves to the American public and the world. And in Trump性视界传媒檚 case, the iconic images of his defiance and bloodied face virtually clinched his victory in the fall.
