By now, everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear can understand how the establishment plays its game.
For instance, thanks to establishment media sycophants and their selective curiosity, we know more about “Maryland father” Kilmar Abrego Garcia than we do about most anything related to the two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, the first of which occurred on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Thus, when journalist and author Salena Zito revealed earlier this month that she heard Trump yell “USA” twice before picking himself off the ground and delivering his iconic “Fight! Fight! Fight!” message only moments after a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his right ear on the stage in Butler, the revelation reminded us not only of how little we know about those who tried to murder Trump but of what we do know — and must never forget — about one of America’s greatest presidents.
“One thing people don’t know,” Zito told host Glenn Beck on “The Glenn Beck Program,” “is before he said ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ — I could see him — he says ‘USA,’ twice.”
Zito, author of the forthcoming book “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland” and a Washington Examiner columnist based in nearby Pittsburgh, had appeared at that Butler rally to interview the then-former president.
“He’s still on the ground,” Zito continued, referring to Trump. “And then I see him turn and get up and say ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’”
“Wow,” Beck replied in a whispered tone that signified awe.
Trump’s explanation for his spontaneous “USA” chant revealed an even more awe-inspiring element in his character.
“He said, ‘Well, Salena,’” Zito added, referring to a subsequent interview with the president, “‘at that moment I wasn’t Donald Trump. I was symbolic. Even though I wasn’t president yet, again, I had once been president. I had an obligation to show that the country is strong, that we will not be defeated, and that we are resolute. I did not want to be the symbol of America being weak.’”
Would Biden, Obama, Clinton, or Carter have done anything remotely this amazing after having been shot?
Again, Beck practically gasped in disbelief.
Then, Zito explained that Trump called her the next day to inquire about her welfare.
“I said, ‘Are you bleeping kidding me? You’re the one that was shot,’” the author recalled
Readers may view the following relevant clip from the interview, posted to the social media platform X:
“Before he said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!,” I could see him. He says, ‘USA,’ twice.” @ZitoSalena tells me the untold story of the Butler, PA, assassination attempt: “He said, ‘at that moment, I wasn’t Donald Trump. Even though I wasn’t president yet, I had once been president. I had… pic.twitter.com/i4Cl4IvJB2
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) April 10, 2025
Above all, of course, Trump’s sense of duty to the country stands out in Zito’s retelling of the story.
It sounds so simple, even trite, to comment on something like duty. But it sounds that way, ironically, in large part because we have forgotten what that kind of commitment looks like. “Duty,” for instance, calls to mind men like George Washington, who sometimes seems too mythical to have actually existed.
Thus, when we finally do witness what Trump displayed on July 13, we must cherish that rare quality in him.
How rare? Well, can anyone imagine former Presidents Joe Biden or Barack Obama, for instance, behaving as Trump did? What about Bill Clinton?
That is not a comment on their respective courage — one cannot know such things until a moment arrives that calls for courage — but rather on their views of the country, as well as of their own relationships to the presidency.
In short, to feel the sense of duty that Trump expressed, a president must love America and its people.
Would anyone dare suggest that Biden, who spent half a century enriching himself at public expense before flooding the country with illegal immigrants and referring to Trump supporters as “garbage,” loves America and its people?
What about the narcissistic and condescending Obama? How do you think he really felt about the “clingers“?
And has Clinton ever lived for anything besides the perpetual gratification of his boundless appetites?
Trump, on the other hand, very obviously loves America and its people. He also understands better than most public figures what the Christian virtue of sacrifice means.
Sometimes it really is that simple.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.