The above photograph was taken on June 14, 2024, at approximately 6:11pm, by Evan Vucci, a chief photographer for the Associated Press, at a campaign rally just outside of Butler, Pennsylvania.

The photograph depicts then-former president Donald Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents ushering him off a stage while forming a protective shield, as he defiantly pumps his fist in the air, with a backdrop of a waving American flag and a clear, blue sky. Trump’s ear was bloodied, and some blood streaked onto his face, the result of a failed assassination attempt.

In the minutes leading up to the assassination attempt, the failed assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had climbed up to the roof of a nearby facility, intent on getting the former president in his direct line of sight. A moment prior, he had a close encounter with a patrolling officer, who had spotted Crooks. At that moment, Crooks acted hastily, knowing that the officer would call for assistance. Prior to this, Crooks had already been spotted by event attendees, who had pointed Crooks out as a suspicious person.

The motivation of Thomas Matthew Crooks is still a matter of discussion. But at this point, it is apparent from his social media history that he had a more favorable viewpoint of Democratic policy positions, which would have put him at odds with Trump, who was running for office for a third time as a likely Republican nominee. Days prior to the assassination attempt, the press had developed a less favorable opinion of Joe Biden, calling into question his cognitive ability to serve a second term, and Biden had given into pressure to withdraw from his pursuit of reelection.

It’s possible that Crooks, if he were enthusiastic about a second Biden term, was disappointed to hear that Biden had chosen to withdraw. In any case, it’s clear that he sought to deny the assembled Trump supporters their own candidate.

Thomas Matthew Crooks was a resident of Bethel Park, a community near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was at the age of 20. Prior to this, he had obtained an Associate’s Degree in engineering science at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh. After this, he would be employed as a member of cafeteria staff at a retirement home near his own residence. He lived with his parents, who were both behavioral psychologists.

Crooks had fired a total of eight shots towards the former president. As he began firing from his AR-15 style rifle, Trump had turned to face a chart, facing the direction of Crooks. As he did so, he leaned his head slightly to his left, denying Crooks what would have easily been a fatal shot, though a bullet did go through Trump’s right ear. A few attendees were struck during the shooting, killing one, named Corey Comperatore.

Trump put a hand to his ear, and upon seeing blood on it, he immediately ducked down. Secret Service members rushed over to the former president, forming a protective barrier with their own bodies.

A counter-sniper team, positioned on a rooftop behind the stage, had identified the sniper, and acted upon him, terminating the threat, in what has been referred to as a “one-in-a-million shot”. Crooks’ earthly experiences had come to an immediate end.

Upon notification that the threat had been neutralized, the Secret Service team had been given the clear to usher Trump from the scene. They and the former president stood up, though Trump had expressed an interest on putting his shoes back on, which had somehow been removed during the incident. According to a lip-reader, Trump had uttered, “Blood? On my face?”

On the way off the stage, Trump insisted upon stopping. Upon doing so, he turned toward the front of the stage to face the assembled crowd, and pumped his fist in the air, shouting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” As the crowd roared in approval, this was the moment that Evan Vucci had photographed, which can be seen above.

Two days later, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Donald Trump accepted the nomination to run for president representing the Republican party. He was not contested in the nomination. It was also at the RNC that Trump named his running mate, J.D. Vance.

A month after the failed assassination attempt, Trump returned to Butler, Pa, for another rally, insisting on finishing what he started, there. He was joined by Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and the owner of the social media platform known as X, who also spoke at the event.

Early in the morning of November 6th, 2024, Donald Trump won the presidency in what has been called a “landslide victory”. Trump had won all the swing states, securing the electoral college, and had become the first Republican candidate in decades to win the popular vote. His closest rival, Kamala Harris, represented the Democratic party.

The failed assassination against Trump, which was followed by the moment depicted by the photo above, was an important pivotal point, upon which if things had happened just a little differently, subsequent matters could have played out far differently. Trump’s election victory was the clear signal of where Americans stood on matters of cultural significance. If, for any reason, Trump had not survived to win the 2024 presidential election, it would have been likely that the culture would have continued along the trajectory that it was apparently going prior to his victory, even if a different Republican might have won.

Because, when it comes down to it, Donald Trump is the face of the will of the American people, who are aware that there is a problem with the establishment, and desires a restore of the greatness of American culture. Thus, the slogan, “Make America Great Again”.

Whatever the political views of Evan Vucci may be, it remains that he captured an image of a moment which will be historic in a manner comparable to the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima. History was made this year, and I’m looking forward to next year. We’ll see whether the image that I pick to describe it is an easy choice, again.

EDIT (16 Dec 2024): It’s a bit of an aside, but I wanted to bring attention to how amusing it is that the politics of Thomas Matthew Crooks appears unclear to anyone.

The main thing that seems to throw people off is the fact that he registered as a Republican in 2021. For many people, this appears to short-circuit their inquisitiveness, and they just stop at the assumption that he was a Republican.

Lest we forget, at around the year 2021, it was common for left-wing political influencers to suggest that left-leaning voters register as Republicans. In certain states, this would allow them to vote in Republican primaries, when they could select less favorable Republicans, increasing the likelihood that Democrats could overcome them in the general elections.

If Thomas Crooks was willing to commit an outrageous crime in an effort to deny the American public a candidate, such an underhanded political strategy certainly would not have been beneath him.

It’s also noteworthy that Paul Abbate, an FBI deputy director, has described Crooks’ social media activity as though it would “appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes”. These are big claims, but Paul Abbate did not back them up with big evidence.

In any case, I think it’s reasonable to at least characterize Thomas Matthew Crooks as a “never-Trumper”. After all, he attempted (and failed) an assassination attempt against former president Trump.

For obvious reasons, Thomas Matthew Crooks cannot be reached to determine his motives. But his final failure will likely be remembered as the most famous failed assassination attempt in history.