Are we really shocked with Trump using his assassination shot for fundraising?

Over the weekend, the world faced a massive shock as news emerged on an assassination attempt made on presidential hopeful Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While the bullet slipped past Trump's head injuring his ear, a member of the audience as well as the gunman were killed in the tragedy.  

Since the incident, an image of Donald Trump, with a bloodied face, pumping his fist in retaliation accompanied news articles all over the world. Many deemed it to be the image that might just win Trump this round of the elections. 

The popular image has reportedly also been put on sneakers to be sold by a Trump owned company. What was really striking though was that Trump and his team reportedly decided to use the image on his website to get supporters to donate to his campaign. 

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The image, in black and white, was accompanied by a message that called on supporters to unite, make peace and make America great again, according to Reuters. At the time of writing of this article, a quick check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE showed that the website could not be accessed.

Trump has since told the New York Post in an article that people have said it was the "most iconic photo they've ever seen." He added that they are right, saying that usually you have to die to have an iconic picture such as this. 

According to Cherian George, a veteran professor of media studies at Hong Kong Baptist University who researches hate propaganda, it’s "inconceivable" that a politician’s aides and supporters would not take advantage of these images.

"Some have said that if marketers needed to manufacture an image from scratch to sell Trump’s brand, they would not be able to produce something stronger than this news photo," he said. George added that people depend on the state to defend their security, by force if necessary, which means that all states have a violent edge, and symbols of violence will always be part of political propaganda.

"Fallen soldiers and independence fighters are honoured in the capitals of most countries. In national celebrations, guns are fired in salute. The US fetishises violence more than many other countries. Remember, they picked for their national anthem a poem about how the star spangled banner still waves despite the rockets and bombs of war. The Trump photo rhymes perfectly with that tradition, showing a leader still standing despite a violent attempt on his life," he said.

Since the image depicts the strength a victim of violence rather than glorifying the perpetrator, the image does not inherently promote violence. However, it all depends on the context in which the image is used, explained George.

"It’s fine if the words accompanying the images promote resilience and national unity. The danger is that politicians and their supporters instead use the photo to incite hatred and violence. And of course that’s exactly what’s happening," said George.  

Agreeing with his point, Jose Raymond, managing director of SW Strategies added that the image of Trump emerging from the attempted assassination is a powerful political image. He said:

It is the kind of imagery which will sway voters, will earn sympathy and will also send a message to voters that 'You can try what you can, but I am still standing.”

Raymond added that the Trump campaign understands this, and this is probably why the image will feature prominently in the run up to the elections, given the stakes at hand.

"It is not illegal to use the image for fundraising, and I don’t even think it is unethical to do so," said Raymond. "Trump just survived an assassination attempt, and he will surely want to milk it for what it is worth to help to waltz into the White House."

Raymond went on to explain that the political arena in the US is very different and that while these kinds of campaigns and image usage is possibly frowned upon in Asia, it is somewhat par for the course in the political arena in the United States.

Looking at it from a PR lens

Meanwhile, from a public relations perspective, experts MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to were generally in agreement that the photo was very powerful and that it would go a "long way" in boosting Trump's campaign. 

"All is fair in war, love and politics (as long as it is legal). The reason that this photo works is that it is not glorifying violence. Instead, it is showing resilience and defiance against an assassination attempt," said Charu Srivastava, chief strategy officer and corporate affairs lead at TriOn & Co. 

She added though that going beyond the photo, it would have been good for the team to acknowledge the loss of life and support the affected families directly instead of the putting up a GoFundMe campaign which has reportedly since raised more than US$3.5 million to assist victims and families of those shot at the rally, according to The Straits Times. 

Agreeing with her, Asiya Bakht, founder of Beets Public Relations, explained that pictures make a powerful statement and that there is nothing wrong or unethical in Trump using the image of his bloody face for political advantage."Politics is all about optics and it will be unwise for Republicans not to plaster this image in every piece of communication," she said. 

She added that in the age of AI, a legitimate image which is not doctored can prove to be especially powerful. "I see this becoming the defining image of US election," she said. 

True enough, visual political communication has become "increasingly important" over recent years. It is central to the politics of illusion and plays an important role in the phenomenon of populist rhetoric, according to The Conversation. Visuals are thus central to the politics of our time, for good or ill, with the power to stimulate emotions and elicit engagement – among an often disengaged and apathetic electorate, it said. 

A third-world political drama?

Saying that, not everyone agrees that this might have been the best move on the part of Trump and his team. 

"Frankly, Trump using an image of himself with his fist up after an assassination attempt to raise campaign funds is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline," said David Ko, managing director, RFI Asia. He added:

It’s a classic move you'd expect from a third-world political drama, not a serious democracy.

Ko went on to call the move a "stunt", saying that while it might rally some hardcore supporters, average voters might view it as "desperate" and "tasteless".

"Ultimately, it’s a sad commentary on the state of the nation and could very well hurt his chances among independents by making him seem more like a reality TV star than a credible leader. But you never know these days," said Ko. He added that glorifying violence to further a political cause is like trying to win a beauty contest by rolling in mud.

"Violence begets violence, and any candidate worth their salt should be denouncing it, not shamelessly exploiting it," he said, adding:

This kind of behavior lowers his nation’s international standing and makes a mockery of their purported democratic values.

Instead, Ko explained the PR team should focus on a message of resilience and unity rather than turning a violent incident into a fundraising gimmick. He added that a more sensitive approach would be to use the photo as a symbol of overcoming adversity and standing strong against violence.

For instance, instead of the fist-up photo, they could have shared an image of the candidate back at work, highlighting his dedication and commitment to public service despite the attack. This way, they could push for the election bid while maintaining a sense of dignity and respect. 

Meanwhile, some also argue that in general, Trump’s campaigns have been very consistent.

"They did this with his mug shot in the New York case and this is another moment to be captured and used to raise funds and charge his base. It should not hurt his chances at all as his base loves it and his detractors will see that its par for the course," said Tarun Deo, founder and managing director of Progressive Communications.

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Photo courtesy of Donald Trump/Facebook, Trendingnowe.com

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