THE FAILED assassination bid against Donald Trump only goes to show he won't falter when facing America's foreign foes, a political expert told The Sun.
John Thomas, a Republican strategist and comms pro, thinks the attack on Trump will all but guarantee victory in his 2024 bid for the White House.
He told The Sun: "Donald Trump has the momentum and the trust of the American people. He is nearly unstoppable, not by a bullet and not by a political opponent.
"Trump was winning and likely to prevail in November before, this now seals the deal."
Trump was shot in the ear at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when lone gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire from a rooftop 130 metres away.
He sprayed bullets into the crowd and towards the podium where Trump stood, possibly killing someone in the audience and seriously wounding two more.
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Amid a broiling political climate, with wars raging across the globe and political chaos at home, John tells us: "Trump met the moment.
"He projected power, strength and grace at a time when so many Americans are looking for a leader and a hero.
"Someone who won't back down against our foreign adversaries, someone who will never quit and someone who will put the American people before themselves."
While this is likely the case with Republican voters, another expert told us even "neutral Americans" may have been swayed to vote for Trump.
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Moments after taking a bullet to the ear, he stood up and punched his the air, mouthing "Fight, Fight, Fight!" along with the crowd.
What we know:
- A shooter opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, attempting to assassinate the former President
- One audience member died and two others were critically injured as Trump was hit
- Dramatic footage showed the moment Trump dove behind his podium as Secret Service agents rushed to protect him
- Trump broke his silence with a statement describing the shooting after a bullet struck his ear
- A microphone captured the moment Secret Service agents screamed "Get down!"
- The shooter - identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks - was shot dead by Secret Service agents at the scene
- A witness claims he warned police about the man with a rifle on a nearby roof minutes before the attack
- President Joe Biden dubbed the shooting "sick" and urged cool heads to prevail in a rare speech from inside the Oval Office
People cheered and shouted as the former President, with blood smeared across his face, was dragged to safety by his Secret Service agents.
The "powerful" photo of Trump standing "bloodied but unbowed" sends a message that he is the stronger candidate than President Joe Biden, policy pro Alan Mendoza said.
Alan, director of trans-Atlantic foreign policy think tank Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun that just the image alone could help secure Trump's election win.
He also thinks Trump's reaction to the shooting signals that he is able to "respond to other enemies in a similar way on a national level.”
John said the effects are already tangible, less than two days after the shooting.
He told The Sun: "Voters are already rallying around President Trump. The feeling is palpable.
"This comes at a time when Biden's campaign was failing and his own party leaders were doubting his ability to win and lead."
It comes after weeks of bumbling errors from Biden's camp, as the current President continues to fumble his words during speeches and press conferences.
After calling Ukraine leader Zelensky "President Putin" last week, an expert told The Sun Biden even poses a "danger to the free world".
Around 20 Democrats from Biden's own party have already called for his resignation.
John explained: "Campaigns are about contrasts. President Trump displayed leadership and strength while President Biden shows weakness and senility.
"I would expect calls for Biden to drop out to grow in the coming weeks.
"Even with a last minute switch of Biden for another nominee the die is now cast.
"Donald Trump has the momentum and the trust of the American people. He is nearly unstoppable, not by a bullet and not by a political opponent."
In his first interview since the shooting on Saturday evening, Trump told the yesterday: "I'm supposed to be dead.
"I rarely look away from the crowd. Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?"
As Trump turned his head to his right, bullets from the shooter's AR-15 grazed the side of his face.
The bullet had ripped through and torn a small piece of his ear clean off.
He also revealed that he has scrapped a speech he planned to give at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
“I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration,” he told The Post.
“But I threw it away.”
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Trump said he is reworking his remarks "to try to unite the country," but added: "I don’t know if that’s possible. People are very divided.”
On Sunday President Joe Biden called for US politics to "cool down" in a rare address from inside the Oval Office.