Stunned by the brazen attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, Americans are reeling with mixed emotions and myriad questions. Angered, confused, and scared, Americans are asking how this could have happened?! They realize the political rhetoric was at fever pitch, but America has the best intel, law enforcement, and security—or so we thought. As more details and information emerge, there are only more questions and frustration. In the wake of catastrophe, the natural human inclination is to come together and repudiate such heinous violence. The nation indeed desperately needs unity, and we should come together. But for genuine unity to take hold, there must be accountability for those with culpability for the vicious demonization of Trump and the epic security failure in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday.

By the grace of God, an assassin’s bullet only grazed Trump’s ear. Had he not turned his head at that moment, Trump would have probably been killed. Tragically, three other bystanders were shot and retired fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed. This assassination attempt was shocking, but much more disturbing is the abject failure of the Secret Service at every level. This failure should never have happened!

The details are still emerging, but the big picture is immediately and inescapably damning. First and foremost, the one elevated spot with a clear line of sight to where Trump was standing was NOT secured. The Butler Farm Show Grounds is not a big place, so how could the Secret Service MISS it! Why were there no drones or helicopters showing any suspicious activity in the area? Why was there no Forward Looking Infrared?

How could a shooter even gain access to that area undetected? But he was detected. Numerous witnesses saw the shooter with a rifle moving into place and frantically tried to warn law enforcement, but somehow the reaction was muted and slow. After minutes of videoing the shooter, one witness wondered why is Trump still talking on stage?!

Local law enforcement officers did find the shooter before he started shooting, so why was Trump not immediately whisked to safety? Why did communications with the Secret Service fail, or why did they not act? The Counter Sniper Team was on a roof behind Trump with a line of sight to the shooter and they saw him, but inexplicably they didn’t neutralize him until after he took several shots! Some reports say the Secret Service never released the Counter Sniper to engage, but thankfully he finally acted and killed the shooter.

The security failures in Butler were so beyond extraordinary that one must ask is the Secret Service that utterly incompetent, or God forbid, are they compromised?! A chilling thought, but questions that must be asked and answered. The FBI is leading the investigation, but they forfeited their credibility when they fabricated the “Russian Hoax,” spied on Trump, and later engaged in collusion and lying about the January 6 insurrection that never happened. Americans are rightly uneasy that the truth will never be known about the Butler incident.

The investigation has just begun, but so far authorities are surmising this looks like a lone-wolf assassin. Hmmm, how did a twenty-year-old with no military training plan and execute a nearly successful assassination of a candidate for president? How did he know where to go that was unsecured? Who put the ladder there? Where did he get the gun? Where did he get the sniper training? Where did he get the bomb-making materials? And how bizarre that this seemingly anonymous assassin has almost no social media profile?

This unknown assassin is likely mentally unbalanced and perhaps did act alone, but who radicalized him? Does anyone believe this kid figured this all out on his own and outsmarted the Secret Service?! We still don’t know the truth about the John F. Kennedy assassination, so it’s unlikely we will know the truth here anytime soon.

The other contributing factor is the relentless demonization of Trump. He has been dehumanized by the press and Democrat politicians. Numerous celebrities have openly fantasized about hurting or killing Trump. Democrat Congressman Dan Goldman said Trump is a destructive threat to our democracy and “must be eliminated.” Trump is no mass murderer, but Biden, et al., repeatedly claim Trump is Hitler and must be stopped at all costs. Ponder that for a moment. If Trump was truly a Hitler figure, then it’s not a great illogical leap for some unhinged Democrat to determine that killing Trump is justified at any cost.

Sadly, too many Democrats are doubling down on the demagoguery, and the press is trying to blame Trump for his harsh pointed criticisms of Biden’s policy failures. The Democrat Media Complex initially tried to downplay the assassination attempt saying Trump fell, or he was startled by a loud noise and had to be removed, or he was safe after a random shooting. The shooting was an obvious attempt on his life, and it almost worked! Yet too many Democrats are all over social media not so subtly implying Trump deserves such violent ire. They are sick.

Thankfully, Democrat leaders are showing a degree of compassion and decency rushing to condemn the assassination attempt and wishing Trump a speedy recovery. Their response is appropriate and appreciated. The magnanimous reaction for Republicans should be to take them at their word, but Biden seems especially eager to admonish “both” sides to tone down the rhetoric. Is it genuine, or is he covering himself, knowing he has led the charge in demonizing Trump? Or is there some degree of guilt, knowing it’s his Secret Service that almost let Trump be killed?

These are hard questions, but they must be answered. Why have Trump’s repeated requests for increased security been denied? Mississippi Congressmen Bennie Thompson just months ago introduced legislation to strip Trump of Secret Service protection. After the assassination attempt, one of his staffers tweeted “next time don’t miss!” She was fired, but the circumstantial evidence that Democrats were gunning for Trump cannot be ignored.

The timing of this assassination attempt is also alarming. For the past few weeks, Democrats have been trying in vain to remove Biden for his obvious cognitive decline, but failing that, how odd that suddenly it’s Trump that was almost removed as the nominee right before the Republican National Convention. If it weren't for divine intervention, the Republicans would be scrambling in an unexpected open convention to replace Trump.

Trump is reportedly rewriting his acceptance speech to focus on healing and unity. Former First Lady Melania Trump has come forth in an impassioned plea for Americans to unify and reject political violence. This is the leadership America so desperately needs right now and Americans are hungry for it. However, do not let the extreme partisans equate Trump supporters with the militant leftists who routinely resort to violence.

There have been no riots or looting in the aftermath of Saturday’s attempted assassination. Average Americans do not condone or engage in political violence, unlike the summer of 2020 when malcontent leftists burned and looted cities for months. While media hacks like Jen Psaki try to make it appear otherwise, let’s be clear, conservatives and Republicans are not dangerous or violent. Almost all the instances of political violence have been by leftists. Too many of them are dangerous, and Democrats need to purge them.

We should welcome and embrace Democrats' offer to cool down the heated rhetoric, but there must be censure for those who recklessly demonized Trump, and accountability for those who either failed to thwart the attempted assassination or perhaps facilitated it.

God spared Trump, which really gave America a second chance. Trump proved his mettle as a courageous leader and inspired millions of Americans with his defiance and determination. He is pledging to bring peace and unity to the country. God is molding Trump. It’s time for Americans to turn back to God, and together we will make America great again! May God keep Trump safe and bless these United States!

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me” (Psalm 138:7).

Pete Riehm is a conservative activist and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.