Former President Donald Trump’s ability to remain firm and “control the crowd” even after he was shot led Riley Gaines to see the 45th president as a “symbol of unity” America needs. In an interview with Breitbart’s Alana Mastangero at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Gaines said she initially thought reports that Trump had been shot were just memes.
Of the notification that appeared on her X feed, Gaines said, “In all capital letters it said ‘TRUMP SHOOTED ON LIVE TV.’ I clicked on it thinking it was some kind of meme. I saw the video and it wasn’t a meme. I immediately put my hand over my mouth. I was with my husband. I’m showing him the video. We’re still trying to figure out if this is real, what happened. Was he shot? Was he hit by glass? We didn’t know. There was so much uncertainty. Was anyone dead? What happened to the gunman?
“And we were living in confusion, in total despair, in despair and just a feeling of really overwhelming sadness. What does this mean? Not just for President Trump, not just for the husband and father who lost his life there. What does this mean for the country?”
Gaines said Trump’s raising of his fist and urging the crowd to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” was a moment that showed the former president’s leadership skills.
“I think this is indicative of President Trump’s leadership. The reaction of the crowd was spot on in that former President Donald Trump, future President Donald Trump, was able to command the crowd and remain calm and dignified even during what was literally — and I mean literally — an assassination attempt,” he said.
“But of course he was yelling, Where are my shoes? Bring me my shoes. He stood up, he pumped his fist, blood was running down his face and into his mouth. And he pumped his fist and said, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ And it’s a symbol of patriotism. It’s a symbol of hope. It’s almost impossible. In the strangest way, it’s a symbol of unity that this country so desperately needs…at least the Republican Party…it’s a symbol of unity that was long overdue. It all unfolded in a tragic way. And yet it was a symbol of unity that we needed to see.”
When asked about those on the left who have deployed hateful rhetoric against Trump and how that has played a role in fueling dangerous levels of hatred towards the former president, Gaines said there are certainly people who must be held accountable.
“There are many people to blame, but one of them should be directed at those who have promoted this rhetoric. Even if they have not directly said to assassinate President Trump, they have essentially called for this in many ways, likening him to Hitler, saying he is a fascist, and, let’s just say, he will be a dictator from day one. And all this while having a vulnerable and naive audience, the American people, who believe the narrative that is being pushed by MSNBC, that is being pushed by CNN. It is these people who should be primarily blamed.”
