What the left has been inciting for years finally happened: A gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday evening. He fired several shots at the former president, hitting his ear and coming incredibly close to killing him. One member of the crowd behind Mr. Trump was killed.

As the Secret Service helped Trump up, blood was visible on the right side of his head. Before law enforcement rushed him off stage, Trump told them to wait several times. He then fist-bumped the crowd and repeatedly mouthed “Fight!” The crowd responded with a loud ovation of “U.S.A.”

Police told media that Trump is safe and expected to recover. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told media, “Trump was grazed by gunfire but is safe.” The Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to become the official Republican nominee for the November election, remains scheduled for Monday.

The fbi has named 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter.

Hours after the attack, Trump released the following statement on his Truth Social account:

I want to thank the United States Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. God bless America!

This is the first shooting of a president or former president since John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981. This follows the assassination attempt of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, which is the first assassination attempt of a European leader in roughly 20 years.

But this shooting is unsurprising. Democrats have spent months demonizing Donald Trump, using violent rhetoric and even indicating they’d like someone to take him out. Just last week, Joe Biden told supporters, “It’s time to put Trump in a bull’s-eye.” Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman said that Mr. Trump “is not only unfit, he is destructive to our democracy and he has to be eliminated.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Mr. Trump “must be stopped; he cannot become president.” For years the mainstream media have compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. Actor Robert De Niro said, “Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and eventually he can destroy the world.”

The left love to take Trump’s words out of context and claim he is inciting violence. But what we have seen from the left is more than just metaphors. Their entire worldview, since 2016, has been that Donald Trump is the most dangerous man in America and any means are acceptable to take him out.

Amid all this rhetoric, in April Democrats in the Senate tried to pass a bill designed to remove Mr. Trump’s Secret Service protection. Had they succeeded, would he now be dead?

Joe Biden and Barack Obama have both issued statements condemning the shooting and wishing the former president a speedy recovery. But after all their previous rhetoric and actions, these words ring hollow. Less high-profile members of the radical left have taken to Twitter mourning the fact that the shooter was not more accurate.

Perhaps this is why the mainstream media was so reluctant to admit that this assassination attempt—streamed live on video—happened at all. Here are some of their breaking news headlines:

• “Trump Removed From Stage by Secret Service After Loud Noises Startles Former President, Crowd” (usa Today)
• “Secret Service Rushes Trump Off Stage After Popping Noises Heard at His Pennsylvania Rally” (nbc News)
• “Trump Injured in Incident at Rally” (cnn)
• “Trump Whisked Off Stage in Pennsylvania After Loud Noises Rang Through the Crowd” (LA Times)
• “MAGA Responds With Outrage After Donald Trump Injured at Pennsylvania Rally” (Newsweek)

It is important to be careful when reporting on breaking stories, but if any other political figure had been targeted, headlines would have included phrases like “possible assassination attempt” rather than “loud noises.”

There are also serious questions about the quality of Donald Trump’s Secret Service protection. The shooter was able to get in position on an unsecured rooftop 150 yards away from Mr. Trump, with a clear line of sight. Several bystanders reported that they saw the shooter and tried to alert authorities that there was a man with a rifle on the rooftop, but nothing happened. More information is certain to emerge, but by all appearances this was a major security lapse, highlighted even by experts who are not Trump supporters. Was this incompetence or worse?

Another question many are asking is, Did Donald Trump receive divine protection? A slight turn of the head and he would now be dead. Mr. Trump himself put out another statement saying: “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

The Bible reveals God’s will and confirms that yes, He did.

“After midterm elections, America’s affliction has intensified, and the battle to recover the nation is sure to be fierce,” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in his 2023 article “Ready for War.”

The Bible explains that God is using one man to save America, temporarily, from the radical left. This means that until that job is done, he will receive miraculous protection. It also means he is the focus for attacks from those who want to fundamentally transform America and bring it down. The Bible prophesies that Donald Trump will return to the presidency, but he will have to “war” to do so. A bloodied president shouting, “Fight! Fight!” with fist held in the air is certainly a warlike image.

In that article, Mr. Flurry wrote:

These prophecies are why we have consistently insisted that Trump will return to power. We do not know exactly how this will unfold. But keep watching Donald Trump, because he is not finished. It is not enough to just recognize the evil being perpetrated by the radical left. Nor should you put your faith in Donald Trump, the modern-day Jeroboam. You must have faith in—and repent toward—the God who used Trump and is about to use him again—or the curse on America will resume.

To learn about these prophecies and what the Bible says about U.S. politics, read our free book America Under Attack.