What If the Situation Was Reversed?

A friend asked me what would happen if it had been Biden who had been shot at. Would Trump be as gracious as Biden has been?

I think the answer is "not likely." Trump is motivated by two things: Greed and revenge. Everything he does fits into those two boxes.

For example, if you feel up to it, go look at the holiday messages he has sent out on his personal social media accounts (not the official messages when he was in office). Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Christmas, any day whatsoever. Even if they start out with the sort of platitudes one might expect from anyone else, they all end up as screeds against his perceived enemies or personal attacks or generalized nastiness. He revels in making fun of disabled or handicapped people.

Trump is just a nasty, juvenile, piece of work. He has the social maturity of a seven-year-old and he proves it, every day of his adult life. Those in his orbit, including politicians who once may have been decent men and women, have debased themselves to Trump's level of immaturity. The rest of them in the formerly-grand old party have closed their eyes and ears to Trump's gutter behavior and his racism (looking at you, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney and others).

So no, I would expect Trump would not have been gracious, not at all. Nor do I expect him to think about that he could have died on Saturday with a reputation of being a racist, bigoted and hateful excuse for a man. That won't cross his mind for an attosecond.