Donald Trump just struck one of the most iconic poses in U.S. history.
With his fist raised in a salute of defiance, Donald Trump has entered the iconography of American history—regardless of whether his projection of strength after an apparent assassination attempt is enough to win him re-election to the White House.
He punches into the air as blood runs down his face. The Associated Press photograph, taken from beneath the stage by photographer Anna Money, shows the Secret Service grabbing him as he turns to the crowd.
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Trump turned to the crowd and appeared to say, “Fight, fight, fight.”
Brendan McDermid
Seen from another angle, Trump's fist pump as he was removed from the stage.
Brendan McDermid
Seen from another angle, Trump’s fist pump as he was removed from the stage.
Brendan McDermidIt’s impossible to be sure what he was shouting at this stage but it looked like “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
At a time when the Democratic Party barely has any fight left, the contrast is astounding.
Make no mistake, the image of a bloodstained Trump standing with one arm aloft instantly takes its place alongside the greatest photos in American history.
It’s the 21st-century equivalent of Muhammad Ali standing victorious over Sonny Liston in 1965, or Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium at the 1968 Olympics with their own fists raised above their heads giving the black power salute.
Tommie Smith (1st place) and John Carlos (3rd place) of the U.S. raise their fists in the Black Power Salute during the playing of the national anthem at the Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico.
NCAA Photos
Ali's taunting of Sonny Liston entered the iconography of the 1960s.
Bettmann/Getty ImagesIt enters history alongside other images of the 20th and 21st centuries: Neil Armstrong on the Moon, the Times Square kiss, D-Day’s landing craft, RFK’s funeral train.
After Biden’s debate debacle it may be too late to call this callous attempted assassination the turning point in the 2024 election, but it surely all but seals the deal.
The only image of Neil Armstrong on the Moon, taken by Buzz Aldrin, showed the astonishing achievement of NASA.
Buzz Aldrin/NASA
America came to remember D-Day through the iconic view of the Coast Guard landing craft's bow open, young GIs wading into the water and onto the beaches.
Robert F. Sargent/US National Archives/Reuters
American history's defining images are tainted by tragedy too, including the crowds who witnessed Robert F. Kenedy's funeral traing moving slowly from Washington D.C. to New York.
Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe shooter has just given him an unparalleled boost in his hopes of becoming only the second man to reclaim the White House after being voted out.
The shot, which may only have been an inch from killing Trump, could end up being one of the most consequential moments in American political history.
Nico Hines covered U.S. politics in Washington, D.C. for The Times of London and was London Bureau Chief for Newsweek before becoming The Daily Beast World Editor. As a foreign correspondent he reported from NATO’s front line with Russia in the Arctic Circle, camped out with the families of trapped Chilean miners in the Atacama desert, and chased down terror suspects in Sydney.
