Swirl of events seems to put fresh wind in Trump’s sails

A shocking assassination attempt, the dismissal of a major federal probe and intensifying divisions among Democrats have unexpectedly culminated to deliver a boost to former President Trump ahead of November. 

The former president’s lead in battleground state polls has solidified in the wake of the June 27 debate with President Biden, and Trump and his team appear poised to ride that  momentum into the summer as favorites to win another term in the White House.

The shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was grazed by a bullet, may have unintentionally added more wind to his sails as footage of the former president, shown with blood on his face and fist raised in the air defiantly, has been seared into Americans’ minds over the past few days.

The incident has unified skeptical Republicans behind Trump and also complicated the Biden campaign’s efforts to paint the former president as an existential threat to democracy. And Trump is poised to capitalize with a week-long show of strength at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.

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