Trump survives third assassination attempt amid political free fall

Donald Trump has been written off a thousand times and always managed to bounce back.

He held his own when he first entered the race and was mocked as a sideshow. When the “Access Hollywood” tape came out. When his supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6.

He survived two impeachments and four criminal cases. He won re-election when that seemed like a long shot. He is the Harry Houdini of Washington.

And on Saturday night he survived his third assassination attempt. At a dinner where the president was expected to mock the media, his calm response to being attacked by a heavily armed gunman generated enormous sympathy for him. It’s dangerous work, he said.

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In fact, he “fought like hell” to continue with the Correspondents’ Association dinner, but the Secret Service—one of whose members was shot but saved by a protective vest—insisted on clearing the room.

At the same time, Trump has such mounting political problems that it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he is in free fall.

The president is bogged down in an unpopular war and canceled the latest talks. Rising gas prices are causing pain at home. Maybe he’s losing the redistricting wars. Some of his most prominent supporters in conservative media have turned against him with a vengeance, even apologizing for supporting him.

That’s not all. Democrats are virtually certain to win the House. They are talking about impeaching Trump the day they are sworn in. Sure, he would be acquitted in the Senate, but his last two years would be an avalanche of investigations and revenge.

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What’s more, the president cannot run again. He will still have the power to hold office, but the House can block most of what he wants to do (and this goes beyond the media fantasy that the opposition party could also win the Senate).

In the ubiquitous polls, Trump has fallen to 33% approval in an AP poll, his worst numbers to date.

More surprising is a new large-sample poll, from Strength in Numbers/Verasight, that says 21% of Republicans support impeachment, while 72% oppose it. Among independents, 50% support the removal of the president.

And a Fox News poll found that more respondents trust Democrats than Republicans on the economy, by four points, for the first time in 15 years.

This comes against the backdrop of Trump firing three women from his cabinet, creating a sense of disarray, and his wife giving a televised speech to deny any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

But let’s check reality.

Trump’s relentless attacks on the press have taken their toll, with many dismissing the coverage as driven by a personal host. And Democrats, with few exceptions, are not helping themselves by appearing to support Iranian terrorists when our service members are at risk.

In November, the Iran war could be a distant memory. The economy could enjoy a rebound. Even now, with the collapse of the ceasefire over the Strait of Hormuz blockade, the stock market has reached record highs.

Trump will use his dominance of the media to dominate the information agenda. He already receives calls from journalists at all hours.

THE SHOOTING SUSPECT’S MANIFEST CLEARLY SAID WHO HE WANTED TO ATTEND, SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE

Meanwhile, Democrats are leaderless. Even if Hakeem Jeffries were the president, the president would generate a lot more news. That won’t change until the 2028 primaries, when one or two favorites emerge.

Trump can make news with executive orders, such as moving marijuana to a lower classification and boosting research into psychedelic drugs.

The betrayal expressed by his former right-wing allies, who accepted his promise of no new foreign wars, may be less important to those not immersed in the online world. But it is a barometer of the fragmentation of the MAGA coalition.

Now some of its leading members call it erratic and reckless.

No one likes this more than Democrats and Never Trumpers, who say wait, are you realizing this now? We’ve been telling you this for years.

“Trump seems desperate to run for the hills,” says New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. “He constantly says that he has defeated the mullahs and ‘destroyed’ their military power, and yet Iran refuses to be subdued.”

SEE PHOTOS: BEFORE AND AFTER FILMING AT THE WH CORRESPONDENT DINNER

Which is obvious, says veteran columnist Andrew Sullivan: “Trump is completely out of his depth. He went to war impulsively. He never expected the Iranians to close the Strait of Hormuz; and then they did. And he can’t open it again. In fact, he decided to close it again. Or something like that.”

Add to that the image of Trump’s AI as Jesus, which offended many Catholics, and the list of unforced errors only grows. He has even attacked the Supreme Court, of which he appointed a third of it.

And there is growing concern about the health of the president, who will soon turn 80, with television showing images every time he closes his eyes in a meeting.

Trump regularly talks about the construction of his massive ballroom, reminding people of his surprise demolition of the East Wing and plans for a monument that would eclipse the Arc de Triomphe. He mentioned it after Saturday night’s shooting, saying the ballroom would be bulletproof and extremely safe.

Trump also used the shooting at the Washington Hilton to underscore his own importance. Having studied the murders, he said, “the most impactful people, the people who do the most… are the ones they go after.”

Politically speaking, Trump is clearly struggling. But anyone who rules out a rebound for this president is ignoring history.

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There will be all kinds of twists and turns in the six months left before the midterm elections, and Democrats are unpopular, too.

But here’s a moment of strange consensus: We can all be grateful that the Secret Service did its job well.