Evan Vucci’s photograph of a bloodied Donald Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents and standing with his fists raised in defiance in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, against a backdrop of blue skies and an American flag, quickly transcended news reporting to become one of those iconic images that captured something deeper about the human experience.
Unsurprisingly, meme creators were the first to jump into action, responding to the moment with either sarcasm or seriousness, or (as their best efforts usually do) a delicate balance of both. This was quickly followed by more considered essays that used the image as a catalyst to ponder this particular moment in our history.
For Align editor Helen Roy, Vucci’s photograph holds a deeper, more elusive truth that memes and op-eds can’t capture. “I found the best way to understand the power of this photograph was through metaphorical language,” Roy says. In an effort to understand the image and the indelible mark it has left on our culture, Roy wrote a poem called “Manifest Destiny,” which she excerpts below:
—Matt Himes, Editor in Chief
Manifest Destiny
Just tilt your chin slightly in the hot wind
Disaster averted: A spinning slug on your head.
The heat of midsummer brings the state of war to an end,
Death limped along, groaned and crouched at his feet.
The guards rushed to protect the king,
And yet he towered over them, the ringing in his ears continuing.
And he raised his fist, and in his bloody old face
Immortal in body and grace,
“Fight!” he mouthed as terrified bystanders yelled.
And red stripes and blue stars surrounded him.
